Stolper Co Lowers Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Stolper Co cut its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,601 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 267 shares during the period. Stolper Co’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Generate Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth approximately $12,656,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in Alibaba Group by 63.9% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 28,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after acquiring an additional 11,192 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 6.5% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 822,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $87,327,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,734.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 269,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,632,000 after purchasing an additional 266,361 shares during the period. Finally, Aspex Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $115,995,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of BABA stock opened at $82.40 on Thursday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $66.63 and a fifty-two week high of $117.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.66.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BABA. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.13.

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.