Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 1.3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares traded up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $133.85 and last traded at $134.48. 5,156,452 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 18,999,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research upgraded Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $118.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.64. The firm has a market cap of $314.85 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. Sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.