Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.7% - Should You Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.15 and last traded at $116.27. Approximately 3,835,588 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 19,940,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on BABA shares. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $176.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $154.21.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $118.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.27. The company has a market cap of $268.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.22.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. This represents a yield of 0.8%. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.83%.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $585,479,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3,214.5% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,378,671 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $578,992,000 after acquiring an additional 4,246,564 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 85.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 8,557,495 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,131,558,000 after acquiring an additional 3,947,460 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,648,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,069,144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,885,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 43.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,595,269 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,136,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584,480 shares during 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.