ARGA Investment Management LP Cuts Stock Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

ARGA Investment Management LP lowered its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,268,296 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 19,586 shares during the period. Alibaba Group comprises approximately 3.5% of ARGA Investment Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. ARGA Investment Management LP owned about 0.05% of Alibaba Group worth $107,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,180,000 after acquiring an additional 27,088 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 131.2% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 74,807 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,343,000 after purchasing an additional 42,446 shares in the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $12,656,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 63.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 11,192 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,734.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 269,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,632,000 after purchasing an additional 266,361 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.8 %

BABA stock opened at $102.37 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $86.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.07. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $243.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $68.36 and a one year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BABA shares. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Citigroup raised 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective 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. Two 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.13.

About Alibaba Group

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.