Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 0.8% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price fell 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $138.32 and last traded at $139.87. 20,203,626 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 9% from the average session volume of 18,498,390 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Mizuho upped 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. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $331.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. 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 $103.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.00.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. 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.