Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.2% - Should You Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares traded down 1.2% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $111.40 and last traded at $112.73. 3,588,801 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 19,943,284 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BABA shares. Citigroup lowered 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. Benchmark dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho decreased their price target 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. Finally, Arete downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $153.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.13.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.15. The company has a market cap of $270.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.22.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,048.9% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 454,980 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $60,162,000 after acquiring an additional 415,380 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 30.8% during the first quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 497 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter worth $26,000. Integrity Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 43.7% in the 1st quarter. Integrity Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,376 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,757 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.