Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Raises Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 16.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 190,873 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 26,935 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $16,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $321,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth $287,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 454.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $518,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA stock opened at $132.49 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.60 and a 200-day moving average of $102.45. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $314.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $148.43.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $148.14.

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.