Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) traded down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $82.72 and last traded at $83.42. 4,167,734 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 10,247,902 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $88.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 20.4% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,517 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,388 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.1% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 68,651 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,943,000 after purchasing an additional 10,020 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 315.0% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 382.4% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 20,865 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 16,540 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth about $309,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.