Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.9% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price traded down 1.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $136.08 and last traded at $136.40. 7,808,547 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 18,717,500 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.02.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the subject of several research reports. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 1.7 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $324.66 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.63.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 153.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 2,848 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,071 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.