Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Purchased by Private Management Group Inc.

Private Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 254,399 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,655 shares during the quarter. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $19,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 184.6% during the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 116.7% during the third quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 2.6 %

BABA traded up $1.82 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $72.51. 15,229,294 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,130,295. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $73.11 and a 200 day moving average of $75.57. The firm has a market cap of $183.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The business had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Macquarie lowered shares of Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.91.

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.