Independent Advisor Alliance Purchases 1,284 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,522 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $723,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $762,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 49.8% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,689 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after acquiring an additional 3,885 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $140.99 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $334.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $68.36 and a 1 year high of $145.36.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

About Alibaba Group

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.