Ritholtz Wealth Management Sells 3,515 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Ritholtz Wealth Management reduced its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,062 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,515 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 116.7% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BABA has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.44.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $72.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $73.45 and a 200 day moving average of $77.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $183.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.47. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $105.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The business had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $260.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current year.

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.