Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.4% – Should You Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $128.00 and last traded at $130.58. 5,109,180 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 19,401,380 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $315.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $121.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.70.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its position in Alibaba Group by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 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.