Sanders Capital LLC Boosts Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,460,434 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,667 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group accounts for approximately 2.8% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 0.77% of Alibaba Group worth $1,959,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth about $36,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 139.3% during the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

BABA stock opened at $85.68 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.97. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $117.82. The firm has a market cap of $205.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Mizuho upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group 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.