Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 3.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) rose 3.1% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $137.66 and last traded at $136.34. Approximately 7,997,031 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 19,036,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Bank of America upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 3.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $324.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,180,000 after buying an additional 27,088 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $911,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 131.2% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 74,807 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,343,000 after acquiring an additional 42,446 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aspex Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth $115,995,000. Hedge funds and other 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.