Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 2,563,936 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 41.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,561,606 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,563,936 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group makes up approximately 0.5% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.15% of Alibaba Group worth $301,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its position in Alibaba Group by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 21,870,987 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,574,711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,175 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 18,460,434 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,959,021,000 after purchasing an additional 60,667 shares in the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $409,385,000 after buying an additional 3,740,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 454.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $383,260,000 after buying an additional 2,959,954 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 0.9 %

BABA traded up $0.72 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $82.40. The company had a trading volume of 11,603,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,521,224. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $86.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.66. The company has a market capitalization of $196.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $66.63 and a one year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Finally, Macquarie raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group 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.