Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 1% – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price was up 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $87.27 and last traded at $86.38. Approximately 3,540,142 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 17,316,305 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Mizuho increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $205.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.68.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 315.0% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth about $38,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

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.