Arete Research Downgrades Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) to Neutral

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

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Nomura upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. CLSA upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $155.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $168.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.00.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:BABA 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. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $80.06 and a 1 year high of $192.67. The stock has a market cap of $379.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 100.3% during the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 59,000 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.