Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Macquarie raised Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $87.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.81. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $66.63 and a 52-week high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 8.98%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $650,043,000 after buying an additional 5,715,155 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares in the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 9,205.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,697,358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,801,240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679,117 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by 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.