Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 1.5% – Here’s Why

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) were down 1.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $133.30 and last traded at $134.88. Approximately 4,953,480 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 18,970,392 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research upgraded Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $115.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.30. The company has a market cap of $323.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 22.6% during the fourth quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $901,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.