Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on BABA. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock traded up $5.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $134.04. 36,394,646 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,609,166. The stock has a market capitalization of $318.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. 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’s 50-day moving average is $96.29 and its 200-day moving average is $93.43. Alibaba Group has a 12-month low of $68.36 and a 12-month high of $145.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.