Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Downgraded by Arete Research to Hold

Arete Research lowered shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $147.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Arete downgraded Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $153.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.13.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE:BABA opened at $116.95 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $119.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $278.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.22. Alibaba Group has a fifty-two week low of $71.80 and a fifty-two week high of $148.43.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. This represents a yield of 0.8%. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is 13.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 22,246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,886,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,504.7% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,717 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 1,610 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 172,748 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $14,647,000 after buying an additional 84,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 7,167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 1,980 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.