Alibaba Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 308,026 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 34% compared to the typical volume of 229,776 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on BABA. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Susquehanna decreased their price target 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. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.7 %

BABA opened at $89.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $66.63 and a 12 month high of $117.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.15. The stock has a market cap of $214.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 139.3% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its position in Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the third 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. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

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.