Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.3% - What's Next?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) fell 1.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $84.96 and last traded at $85.29. 3,221,703 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 11,620,654 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BABA shares. StockNews.com lowered Alibaba Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Macquarie raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $212.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.30. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $85.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.09. 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 (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The firm's revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

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