Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA Shares Sold by Strs Ohio

Key Points

• Strs Ohio trimmed its Alibaba stake by 19.7% in Q4, selling 91,453 shares and leaving it with 373,807 shares valued at about $54.8 million, according to the fund's latest Form 13F filing.
• Alibaba shares opened at $131.52 (52‑week range $103.71–$192.67) after the company reported $0.13 EPS and $40.71 billion in quarterly revenue; analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $188.75.
• Several other institutional investors adjusted positions—some increased stakes while others initiated new holdings—and hedge funds and institutions collectively own about 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Strs Ohio lessened its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 373,807 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 91,453 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $54,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth about $254,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 313.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,778 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,470,000 after buying an additional 16,505 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth about $1,613,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 51.9% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 70,060 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,946,000 after buying an additional 23,925 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $131.52 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $103.71 and a 52-week high of $192.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.05 and a 200 day moving average of $151.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $314.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $40.71 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Argus raised shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.75.

Alibaba Group Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.

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