Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Acquired by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 46.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,242 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth about $4,112,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 53,076 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,500,000 after acquiring an additional 7,308 shares in the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 14,736 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Alibaba Group by 47.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 46,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 14,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,093,828 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $431,906,000 after purchasing an additional 78,757 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $130.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $145.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $101.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.35. The company has a market cap of $310.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.07.

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.