Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.5% – Here’s Why

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares were down 1.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $133.30 and last traded at $134.88. Approximately 4,953,480 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 18,970,392 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.91.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $116.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.78. The firm has a market cap of $321.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 37,149 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,987 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at $1,107,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 42,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,551,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 16.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 614 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.