Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 6.1% – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was up 6.1% on Monday . The company traded as high as $110.31 and last traded at $109.80. Approximately 17,181,111 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 21,031,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.86.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $89.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $281.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $585,479,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $650,043,000 after buying an additional 5,715,155 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $936,785,000 after buying an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,959,954 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.