Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 2.2% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares were down 2.2% on Friday . The company traded as low as $171.94 and last traded at $173.3460. Approximately 12,903,164 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 17,195,064 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.18.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Arete Research upgraded BABA from Neutral to Buy and set a $190 price target; the upgrade triggered an intraday rally as investors responded to improved analyst conviction. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Alibaba is preparing to restructure and list its AI chip arm, T?Head, have driven optimism that a spinoff/IPO could unlock value and position the company in the hot AI?accelerator market — multiple outlets cite people familiar with the plan. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is tilted favorable: a consensus “Moderate Buy” from brokerages reinforces the bullish analyst tone and supports investor interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple news outlets reported the T?Head IPO story and intraday share pops/pre?market rallies; these are market?reaction pieces rather than official filings — the long?term impact depends on deal structure, timing and regulatory filings. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BABA shares. Mizuho set a $195.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Macquarie restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Nomura reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $215.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.72.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.2%

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $156.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $413.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.37.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 19,097 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,799,000 after buying an additional 3,186 shares in the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $261,000. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 4,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 4,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 70,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,304,000 after purchasing an additional 15,751 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co?founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high?profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.