Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $143.75, but opened at $135.80. Alibaba Group shares last traded at $129.32, with a volume of 34,331,667 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 9.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $308.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $95.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.09.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.90%. Equities analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Concord Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.