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Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Down 4.1% - Should You Sell?

Alibaba Group logo with Consumer Discretionary background
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Key Points

  • Alibaba shares fell 4.1% to about $114 during Monday’s trading, with volume below the daily average. The stock remains below its 200-day moving average of $126.53.
  • Founder Jack Ma and CEO Eddie Wu reportedly bought roughly $76.5 million and $15 million of Alibaba stock, respectively, after the company raised $10.2 billion for AI infrastructure. The purchases may signal insider confidence, though the financing diluted existing shareholders and AI infrastructure constraints could raise execution and capital-spending risks.
  • Wall Street maintains a generally positive view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $188.70, but Alibaba recently missed quarterly EPS estimates despite revenue growing 8.6% year over year. The company also faces securities-fraud class-action allegations, which have not been proven, adding legal overhang.
  • Five stocks to consider instead of Alibaba Group.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) was down 4.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $113.93 and last traded at $114.03. 9,188,214 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 12,181,006 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.90.

Key Alibaba Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BABA. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $164.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Alibaba Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Nomura reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, HSBC set a $170.00 price objective on Alibaba Group in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.70.

Get Our Latest Analysis on BABA

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $273.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business's 50 day moving average is $114.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.53.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by ($0.68). The business had revenue of $39.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.52 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.79% and a net margin of 7.00%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $14.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total value of $68,364,000.00. Following the sale, the president directly owned 28,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,658,600. This represents a 96.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,772 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total value of $81,941.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 607,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,347,531.40. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370 over the last 90 days. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Greenland Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth $505,000. Readystate Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP now owns 13,065 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 1.8% in the second quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,694 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $930,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,421 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XP Advisory US Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $269,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

(Get Free Report)

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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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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