Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $147.10 and last traded at $146.01, with a volume of 12773220 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $141.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BABA. Benchmark boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $351.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $110.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.85.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% during the third 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 buying an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. increased its position in Alibaba Group by 64.1% during the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after acquiring an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 454.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 208.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $254,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,024,640 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.