Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 9,391 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,184 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 9,391 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $6,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its position in Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 6.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $140.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $334.04 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $68.36 and a twelve month high of $145.36.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. Equities research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

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.