Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price was up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $87.28 and last traded at $87.25. Approximately 4,687,911 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 17,395,709 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on BABA. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Macquarie raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $208.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.70, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $94.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the third quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 4,857 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $515,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.