Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. Sells 293,000 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. decreased its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 27.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 771,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 293,000 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group accounts for about 2.0% of Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $65,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BABA. Appaloosa LP grew its position in Alibaba Group by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 11,843,158 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,004,181,000 after buying an additional 1,843,158 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $585,479,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,093,828 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $431,906,000 after purchasing an additional 78,757 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 208.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $254,000,000 after buying an additional 2,024,640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North of South Capital LLP lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 1,975,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $167,525,000 after acquiring an additional 300,432 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE BABA opened at $120.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $288.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $71.80 and a 12 month high of $148.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $125.33 and its 200 day moving average is $105.14.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on BABA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.36.

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.