Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Down 2.1% - Should You Sell?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) dropped 2.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $131.40 and last traded at $132.75. Approximately 5,566,554 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 19,043,919 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.63.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BABA. Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $314.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.70.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $901,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.