Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Sells 8,323 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 63,052 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,323 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $4,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 184.6% in the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 116.7% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $72.51 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.57. The company has a market cap of $183.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $102.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The company had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.91.

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.