Great Lakes Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,791 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 59.5% in the 4th quarter. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. now owns 69,355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,881,000 after purchasing an additional 25,885 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Glaxis Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $9,518,000. Finally, Eos Management L.P. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Eos Management L.P. now owns 41,107 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,485,000 after buying an additional 6,724 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.9 %

BABA stock opened at $140.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.73 and a 200 day moving average of $98.71. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $68.36 and a twelve month high of $145.36. The firm has a market cap of $334.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

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.