Virtu Financial LLC Sells 115,151 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Virtu Financial LLC decreased its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 85.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 115,151 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $135.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $321.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $116.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.78. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $148.43.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

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.