NS Partners Ltd Takes $5.83 Million Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

NS Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 68,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,825,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $140.59 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $68.36 and a 1 year high of $145.36. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.70. The company has a market capitalization of $334.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded 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 report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, 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 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

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.