Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 0.8% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) rose 0.8% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $87.36 and last traded at $86.22. Approximately 7,186,703 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 7,763,135 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $199.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99, 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 quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $88.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.36.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 20.4% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,517 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,388 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 17.1% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 68,651 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,943,000 after buying an additional 10,020 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 315.0% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 382.4% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 20,865 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,502,000 after acquiring an additional 16,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at $309,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.