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

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $115.13.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. Citigroup raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

BABA stock opened at $100.36 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.33. The company has a market capitalization of $238.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alibaba Group has a fifty-two week low of $68.36 and a fifty-two week high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. The company had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. Alibaba Group’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 earnings per share 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.