Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Receives “Equal Weight” Rating from Morgan Stanley

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating restated by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $90.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 5.45% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Alibaba Group from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, July 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.61.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

BABA stock traded up $2.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.35. The company had a trading volume of 6,727,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,590,156. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $66.63 and a 12 month high of $96.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $77.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.24. The firm has a market cap of $216.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $14.57. The firm had revenue of $243.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.32 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 12.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 139.3% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 315.0% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. 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.