Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Sold by Westerly Capital Management LLC

Westerly Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group accounts for 1.6% of Westerly Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Westerly Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $3,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,033.1% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 134,686 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $14,293,000 after purchasing an additional 122,800 shares in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $637,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 114,981 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $12,202,000 after acquiring an additional 20,654 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.0% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,252 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $89,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

BABA stock opened at $118.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $284.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.95. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52 week low of $71.80 and a 52 week high of $148.43.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Benchmark increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Profile

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.