Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Lowered to Neutral Rating by Arete Research

Arete Research lowered shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Arete Research currently has $172.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research lowered Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $178.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $194.00.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $155.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $372.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $166.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.67. 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 52-week low of $80.06 and a 52-week high of $192.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 101.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth $30,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth $30,000. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 231.5% during the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 179 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at $26,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.