Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 0.9%

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price traded down 0.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $81.70 and last traded at $82.61. 3,892,913 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 16,599,008 shares. The stock had previously closed at $83.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.61.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.32.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $14.57. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company had revenue of $243.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $248.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $329,367,000. H&H International Investment LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. H&H International Investment LLC now owns 4,959,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $384,390,000 after buying an additional 1,918,730 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 139.2% during the fourth quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 3,140,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $243,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828,019 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 79.5% during the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,610,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $188,197,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,479 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 384.2% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,424,944 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $102,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130,643 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands, retailers, and other businesses to engage with their users and customers in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates through seven segments: China Commerce, International Commerce, Local Consumer Services, Cainiao, Cloud, Digital Media and Entertainment, and Innovation Initiatives and Others.