Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 0.9% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares were down 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $82.72 and last traded at $83.74. Approximately 9,643,066 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 11,401,514 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 3.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $191.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $87.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.35.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. Alibaba Group’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 382.4% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 20,865 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 16,540 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,443 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 48.1% in the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 5,789 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 1,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 65,439 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,712,000 after buying an additional 2,309 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.