Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Position Trimmed by Ruffer LLP

Ruffer LLP lowered its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 38.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,609,404 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,021,435 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group accounts for about 4.9% of Ruffer LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Ruffer LLP owned approximately 0.07% of Alibaba Group worth $136,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 4.6% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at about $312,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $427,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 0.5 %

BABA stock opened at $140.59 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52 week low of $68.36 and a 52 week high of $145.36. The company has a market cap of $334.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $105.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.81.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays boosted 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. Finally, Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

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.