Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 2.9% – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares were up 2.9% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $85.59 and last traded at $84.85. Approximately 9,236,075 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 10,840,915 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $202.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $86.06 and a 200 day moving average of $87.68. 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 (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.