Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $148.14.

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Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of BABA stock traded down $3.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $132.49. 13,233,872 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,457,269. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $121.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.45. The company has a market capitalization of $314.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. Alibaba Group has a fifty-two week low of $68.36 and a fifty-two week high of $148.43.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.