Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on BABA. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE BABA opened at $132.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $314.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. Alibaba Group has a 52 week low of $68.36 and a 52 week high of $148.43. 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 has a fifty day moving average of $121.60 and a 200-day moving average of $102.45.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,180,000 after acquiring an additional 27,088 shares during the period. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $911,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 131.2% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 74,807 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,343,000 after buying an additional 42,446 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 3,242 shares during the period. Finally, Aspex Management HK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $115,995,000. 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.