Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 0.5%

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price was down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $82.01 and last traded at $82.08. Approximately 3,228,317 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 16,531,781 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $124.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.61.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $205.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.90.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $14.57. The firm had revenue of $243.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.32 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 139.3% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 315.0% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is 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.