Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 3.6% – Time to Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price was up 3.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $134.47 and last traded at $133.67. Approximately 18,435,631 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 31,064,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $319.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.29 and a 200 day moving average of $93.43.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 208.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $254,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024,640 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.