Short Interest in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Drops By 14.3%

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 37,520,000 shares, a decrease of 14.3% from the December 15th total of 43,800,000 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 15,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BABA. Citigroup upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Macquarie upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 3.3 %

NYSE BABA traded up $2.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 21,072,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,289,486. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $66.63 and a 52-week high of $117.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Generate Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $12,656,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 63.9% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 28,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after buying an additional 11,192 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 6.5% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 822,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $87,327,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 7,734.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 269,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,632,000 after buying an additional 266,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aspex Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $115,995,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.