Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 4.2% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) traded up 4.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $101.46 and last traded at $100.83. 12,959,656 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 17,353,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Macquarie upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 4.0 %

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $86.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $234.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 68.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,689 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 2,711 shares during the last quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 8,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 52.3% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 36,258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 12,452 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,564,000. Finally, NTV Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 3,850 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. 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.