Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 5,927 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 42.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,830 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,927 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $89.98 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $214.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $85.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.27. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Macquarie raised Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.13.

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.