Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Rating Lowered to “Neutral” at Arete

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was downgraded by Arete from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $172.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock. Arete’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on BABA. Nomura increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $218.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Macquarie reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $194.00.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of BABA stock opened at $158.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $379.10 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.33. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $80.06 and a 52-week high of $192.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1,349,768.3% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 49,013,718 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,558,646,000 after purchasing an additional 49,010,087 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,038,318 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,079,229,000 after buying an additional 5,524,354 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $527,243,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 85.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 8,557,495 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,131,558,000 after acquiring an additional 3,947,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 43.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,595,269 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,136,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584,480 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Company 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.