Capital Investment Counsel Inc Sells 4,655 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Capital Investment Counsel Inc trimmed its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,759 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,655 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BABA. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 8.3 %

NYSE:BABA opened at $136.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $144.51. The company has a market cap of $323.74 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.42.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. Research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BABA. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.93.

About Alibaba Group

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.