Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 2.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) were up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $87.47 and last traded at $87.95. Approximately 4,254,035 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 11,521,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BABA shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $210.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.99.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,883 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,825 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 13,013 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.