Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 6.1% – Time to Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price was up 6.1% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $110.31 and last traded at $109.80. Approximately 17,181,111 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 21,031,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BABA. StockNews.com cut Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.86.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $89.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors boosted 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. TBH Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its position in Alibaba Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 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.