Knuff & Co LLC Increases Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Knuff & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,361 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,406 shares during the period. Alibaba Group accounts for about 1.2% of Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $3,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.9% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 54,936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,765,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 384,537 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,355,000 after purchasing an additional 20,326 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 12,896 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth $279,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock traded up $1.00 on Friday, hitting $81.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,355,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,275,838. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.22. The firm has a market cap of $206.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.01 and a beta of 0.44. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $66.63 and a one year high of $102.50. 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 (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $19.12 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on BABA. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 19th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.91.

Alibaba Group Company 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.