Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $114.07.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BABA. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company 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 for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, August 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 139.3% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 2.9 %

NYSE:BABA opened at $83.13 on Friday. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $66.63 and a one year high of $117.82. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.