Bridgewater Associates LP Makes New Investment in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Bridgewater Associates LP purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 512,303 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $54,366,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BABA. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.6% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,387 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 22,946 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,660,000 after acquiring an additional 7,307 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 27.5% during the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 62,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,495,000 after acquiring an additional 13,394 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 19.7% in the first quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 59,195 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,283,000 after purchasing an additional 9,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter worth $175,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Macquarie raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $85.18 on Wednesday. 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 Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $66.63 and a 52-week high of $117.82. The company has a market capitalization of $203.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a fifty day moving average of $98.47 and a 200-day moving average of $86.00.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current fiscal 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.

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