Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Grows Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 290 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 154.1% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 55,229 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,052,000 after buying an additional 33,490 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 462.5% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 169,220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,275,000 after purchasing an additional 139,134 shares in the last quarter. SRN Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 76.7% in the first quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 22,259 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 9,663 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 52,685.7% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 11,085 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 11,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leo Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,734,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $95.43 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.95. The firm has a market cap of $229.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $66.63 and a one year high of $97.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $14.57. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 7.31%. The firm had revenue of $243.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Alibaba Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BABA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Alibaba Group from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, July 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.61.

Alibaba Group 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.