Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Down 2.5% – Here’s Why

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) fell 2.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $126.10 and last traded at $127.51. 11,785,296 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 18,354,041 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BABA. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

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 fifty day simple moving average of $101.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.35. The company has a market capitalization of $308.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $238,000. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Henry James International Management Inc. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. Henry James International Management Inc. now owns 19,104 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,027,000 after purchasing an additional 4,943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,324 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,961,000 after buying an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.