Viewpoint Capital Management LLC Buys 1,050 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Viewpoint Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 40.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,674 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.9% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 24,034 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,210,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 19.9% in the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 57,212 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,963,000 after purchasing an additional 9,495 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in Alibaba Group by 64.3% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,623 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 4,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 1,655 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA traded down $0.37 during trading on Friday, reaching $72.00. 10,334,974 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,350,396. The stock has a market capitalization of $182.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.98. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $66.63 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $30.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.59 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 8.44%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a None dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 13th will be given a $1.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a yield of 3%. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is presently 22.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $124.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.79.

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.