Focus Financial Network Inc. Raises Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 4.9 %

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $118.35 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.30. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $68.36 and a 52-week high of $119.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31.

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 business 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 firm posted $1.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. 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 report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.86.

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.