Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Increases Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BABA shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.3 %

BABA stock opened at $135.16 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $116.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $148.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

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