Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Price Target Cut to $180.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Thursday. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential upside of 16.26% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on BABA. Nomura raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Alibaba Group from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Alibaba Group from $231.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.84.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 5.5%

BABA traded up $8.08 during trading on Thursday, reaching $154.83. 10,947,815 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,998,280. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $156.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.47. Alibaba Group has a twelve month low of $80.06 and a twelve month high of $192.67. The stock has a market cap of $369.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. now owns 67,773 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,686,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373 shares during the last quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 127.4% during the third quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 15,143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 8,484 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter worth $15,318,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at $17,139,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in Alibaba Group by 197.0% during the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 34,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,881,000 after purchasing an additional 22,701 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.