Principal Securities Inc. Decreases Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Principal Securities Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 456 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantum Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Quantum Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,791 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 22,246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,886,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $210,000. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its position in Alibaba Group by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 50,389 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,269,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 11,644 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,719 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $127.18 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $302.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.53. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $68.36 and a 12-month high of $129.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Mizuho raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.86.

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.