Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Boosts Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 134.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,298 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 15,656 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $3,610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $585,479,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3,214.5% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,378,671 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $578,992,000 after purchasing an additional 4,246,564 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 208.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $254,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024,640 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 95.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,112,187 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $179,087,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polunin Capital Partners Ltd raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 218.1% during the first quarter. Polunin Capital Partners Ltd now owns 1,325,120 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $175,221,000 after purchasing an additional 908,544 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price objective on Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Loop Capital set a $176.00 price objective on Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Arete cut Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $153.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $150.80.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 0.9%

Alibaba Group stock traded down $1.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $120.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,032,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,406,953. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.21. The stock's fifty day moving average is $116.02 and its 200 day moving average is $116.43. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1-year low of $73.87 and a 1-year high of $148.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 12th. This represents a yield of 0.8%. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is currently 12.75%.

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.