Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 0.5% - Here's Why

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) dropped 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $81.82 and last traded at $81.99. Approximately 2,716,114 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 10,617,862 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com lowered Alibaba Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $86.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.59. The company has a market capitalization of $202.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. Alibaba Group's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generate Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $12,656,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 63.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 28,716 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,047,000 after purchasing an additional 11,192 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 822,904 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $87,327,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 7,734.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 269,805 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,632,000 after purchasing an additional 266,361 shares during the period. Finally, Aspex Management HK Ltd bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $115,995,000. 13.47% of the stock is 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.

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