Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Raised to Outperform at Sanford C. Bernstein

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $165.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $104.00. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.55% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup increased 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. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $139.18 on Tuesday. Alibaba Group has a 12-month low of $68.36 and a 12-month high of $145.30. The stock has a market cap of $330.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $98.31 and a 200 day moving average of $94.13.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 12.89%. The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Concord Wealth Partners grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 155.0% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.