Citigroup Lowers Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Price Target to $169.00

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Citigroup from $170.00 to $169.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 60.75% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on BABA. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $105.13 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $249.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $68.36 and a 1 year high of $148.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $126.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.51.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. As a group, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. 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.