Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) traded up 1.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $141.82 and last traded at $140.02. 8,459,671 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 18,771,530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $334.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.