RWC Asset Advisors US LLC Reduces Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

RWC Asset Advisors US LLC lessened its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 44.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 614,635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 486,809 shares during the period. Alibaba Group comprises about 10.4% of RWC Asset Advisors US LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $52,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after buying an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Aspex Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $115,995,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $63,929,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.93.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 5.7 %

Shares of BABA stock opened at $143.67 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $68.36 and a fifty-two week high of $145.30. The company has a market cap of $341.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $95.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.09.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.90%. Equities analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.