Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 0.1% Higher

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) traded up 0.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $72.47 and last traded at $72.42. 4,076,973 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 17,750,613 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Mizuho cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $108.79.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.00. The firm has a market cap of $182.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $30.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.59 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 8.44%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a None dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 13th will be given a $1.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a yield of 3%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 16.7% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 990 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 10,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $826,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 11.2% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 1,533 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.8% in the first quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. 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.