Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 0.8%

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares were down 0.8% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $80.34 and last traded at $80.54. Approximately 3,040,263 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 16,458,412 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, August 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $124.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.61.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.93. The stock has a market cap of $206.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $14.57. The firm had revenue of $243.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $248.32 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $329,367,000. H&H International Investment LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. H&H International Investment LLC now owns 4,959,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $384,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,918,730 shares during the last quarter. Ruffer LLP raised its position in Alibaba Group by 139.2% in the 4th quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 3,140,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $243,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828,019 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 79.5% in the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,610,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $188,197,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 384.2% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,424,944 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $102,596,000 after buying an additional 1,130,643 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.