Russell Investments Group Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 48.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 602,781 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 571,272 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $51,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $116.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $125.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.24. The company has a market capitalization of $276.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. 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 EPS 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 business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. 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 research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.