Martin Currie Ltd. Sells 67,241 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Martin Currie Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,589,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 67,241 shares during the period. Alibaba Group accounts for 5.0% of Martin Currie Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Martin Currie Ltd.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $134,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on BABA. Benchmark boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 2.3 %

Alibaba Group stock opened at $132.49 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $68.36 and a 1 year high of $148.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $121.60 and its 200-day moving average is $102.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $314.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28.

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

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.