Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 2% - Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $120.92 and last traded at $121.18. Approximately 3,069,175 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 26,321,154 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BABA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Alibaba Group from $147.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.21.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.6%

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 company's 50 day moving average price is $121.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.18. The stock has a market cap of $287.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is 13.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,180,000 after purchasing an additional 27,088 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $911,000. Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $869,000 after buying an additional 3,242 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 268,768 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $22,789,000 after buying an additional 42,290 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,610,035 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $390,885,000 after acquiring an additional 752,275 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

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.