Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Sold by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. reduced its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 13,257 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $6,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BABA. L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth approximately $2,723,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,734.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 269,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,632,000 after buying an additional 266,361 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at $5,237,000. Cypress Capital Group grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 34,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,674,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Finally, JW Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,592,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $85.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.81. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. Alibaba Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.07.

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.