Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 3.2% – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) rose 3.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $139.22 and last traded at $136.8580. Approximately 15,093,034 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 20% from the average daily volume of 12,536,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital set a $140.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Nomura increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $193.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $195.17.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.2%

The company has a market cap of $326.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth $30,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 231.5% during the 3rd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 179 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.