Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) were down 2.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $75.75 and last traded at $75.90. Approximately 5,626,472 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 18,165,813 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. 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 research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.79.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $186.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $77.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

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

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.66 dividend. This represents a yield of 3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is 22.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $329,367,000. Blue Pool Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $151,726,000. H&H International Investment LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. H&H International Investment LLC now owns 4,959,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $384,390,000 after buying an additional 1,918,730 shares during the period. Ruffer LLP raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 139.2% during the 4th quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 3,140,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $243,430,000 after buying an additional 1,828,019 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,610,078 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,007,058,000 after buying an additional 1,406,491 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Company 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.