Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Down 0.3% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price traded down 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $114.76 and last traded at $117.95. 18,338,060 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 23,799,439 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 14th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.86.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $283.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. Alibaba Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors grew its position in Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. TBH Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

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.