ARGA Investment Management LP Sells 275,677 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• ARGA Investment Management LP cut its Alibaba stake by 60.9%, selling 275,677 shares in Q4 and now holds 177,174 shares worth about $25.97 million (roughly 0.7% of its portfolio).
• Sell-side analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $187.68 consensus price target — 16 Buys, 5 Holds and 1 Sell.
• Alibaba shares opened at $132.57 (down 2.4%), trading in a 52-week range of $103.71–$192.67; the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.13 on $40.71 billion in revenue.

ARGA Investment Management LP lessened its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 60.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 177,174 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 275,677 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group accounts for approximately 0.7% of ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $25,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Bluesphere Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC now owns 3,023 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 34.4% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 101.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Nomura upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $193.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.68.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE BABA opened at $132.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $317.07 billion, a PE ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $103.71 and a one year high of $192.67. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $134.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $40.71 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 9.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 4.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Alibaba Group

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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