Morgan Stanley Upgrades Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) to Overweight

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $180.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock, up from their prior price target of $100.00. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 34.29% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho raised their target price 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. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird raised 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, StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.9 %

NYSE:BABA opened at $134.04 on Monday. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $68.36 and a 52-week high of $145.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.81. The company has a market cap of $318.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares in the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,260,000 after buying an additional 2,959,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 208.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $254,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024,640 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is 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.