Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Lowers Stock Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,505 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanders Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 322.7% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,029,238 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,303,636,000 after acquiring an additional 11,473,618 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,610,078 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,007,058,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406,491 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 461.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,215,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $365,686,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464,723 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,508,392 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $304,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,233 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in Alibaba Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,480,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $215,133,000 after buying an additional 18,900 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.3 %

BABA traded up $0.22 during trading on Monday, hitting $81.55. 11,492,384 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,941,658. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.47 and a 200 day moving average of $75.11. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $19.12 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.44 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BABA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 19th. Macquarie downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.