Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 1.7% – Should You Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) dropped 1.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $129.93 and last traded at $130.44. 5,335,425 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 19,364,055 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on BABA. Benchmark lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Robert W. Baird increased 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. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $307.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.73. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in Alibaba Group by 59.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.