PFG Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

PFG Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,559 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,841 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $911,000. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,948,000. Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 117,943 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,596,000 after purchasing an additional 18,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avaii Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 1st quarter worth $563,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on BABA. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $154.21.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $112.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.22. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $71.80 and a 12-month high of $148.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a — dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. This represents a yield of 0.8%. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is 13.83%.

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.