Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 5,097 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,097 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $3,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Sanders Morris Harris LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 398.6% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 25,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,128,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 18,465 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,566,000 after buying an additional 4,397 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 5,321 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 556 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 13,013 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 5,737 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $82.40 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $86.59 and a 200-day moving average of $87.63. The company has a market cap of $196.27 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1-year low of $66.63 and a 1-year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. Alibaba Group’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on BABA. StockNews.com downgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie raised Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Company 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.