Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Stake Increased by Causeway Capital Management LLC

Causeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 951,168 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 63,851 shares during the period. Alibaba Group comprises about 1.8% of Causeway Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Causeway Capital Management LLC's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $80,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $13,180,000 after buying an additional 27,088 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $911,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 131.2% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 74,807 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,343,000 after buying an additional 42,446 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $869,000 after acquiring an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 18,465 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,566,000 after buying an additional 4,397 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BABA. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley raised Alibaba Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Benchmark upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Arete Research upgraded Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of BABA stock traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $109.03. The company had a trading volume of 17,805,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,607,737. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $68.36 and a 52-week high of $148.43. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $127.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.77. The company has a market capitalization of $260.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for 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 12.89%. Equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current 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.