Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 4% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) fell 4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $136.81 and last traded at $137.42. 11,060,869 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 18,950,900 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BABA. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $321.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.66.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth approximately $321,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 37,149 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,987 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth approximately $1,107,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 42,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,551,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company 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.