Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Down 1.4% on Analyst Downgrade

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares fell 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Arete downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a neutral rating. Arete now has a $172.00 price target on the stock. Alibaba Group traded as low as $154.30 and last traded at $155.9710. 6,427,233 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 20,239,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.13.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on BABA. Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. 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 report on Wednesday, November 26th. Erste Group Bank raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Nomura lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $194.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,617 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,004,000 after buying an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Steadtrust LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.1% during the third quarter. Steadtrust LLC now owns 5,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $974,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,198,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $71,418,000. Finally, Tcfg Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth approximately $279,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $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 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.