Benchmark Increases Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Price Target to $190.00

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) had its price target increased by research analysts at Benchmark from $118.00 to $190.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Benchmark’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 32.25% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.93.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $143.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $341.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.31. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.99. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $145.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the third 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 worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after acquiring an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 208.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $254,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,024,640 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

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.