Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Purchased by Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd.

Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 1,176.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 423,533 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 390,354 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $33,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 13.8% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,610,078 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,007,058,000 after acquiring an additional 1,406,491 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 322.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,029,238 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,303,636,000 after purchasing an additional 11,473,618 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 14,275 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 113,704 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,863,000 after purchasing an additional 62,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 299.9% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 82,888 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,428,000 after purchasing an additional 62,163 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BABA traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $69.09. The stock had a trading volume of 9,724,774 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,352,039. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $73.33 and its 200-day moving average is $76.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 0.46.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The firm 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 company posted $2.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Macquarie lowered shares of Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.91.

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.