Royal Fund Management LLC Decreases Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Royal Fund Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 63.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,431 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 29,779 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BABA. Knuff & Co LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 42,361 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,283,000 after buying an additional 5,406 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $232,000. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $922,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $577,000. Finally, Alterna Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,763 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Mizuho restated a "buy" rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.91.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.2 %

BABA traded up $1.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.33. 19,355,807 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,275,838. The stock has a market cap of $206.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.01 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $73.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.22. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $66.63 and a twelve month high of $102.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The business had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.44 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Alibaba Group 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.