Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Short Interest Down 9.1% in November

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 50,230,000 shares, a decline of 9.1% from the November 15th total of 55,230,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 20,360,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 2.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA stock traded up $1.09 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $87.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,272,053 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,435,371. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $93.74 and its 200-day moving average is $86.50. The company has a market capitalization of $208.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 21,870,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,574,711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,175 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 18,460,434 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,959,021,000 after acquiring an additional 60,667 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $936,785,000 after acquiring an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $650,043,000 after purchasing an additional 5,715,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BABA. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. 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. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Macquarie upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Company 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.