Alibaba Group’s (BABA) Buy Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

Benchmark restated their buy rating on shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $118.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.53.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $88.59 on Friday. Alibaba Group has a 1-year low of $66.63 and a 1-year high of $117.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.70. The company has a market cap of $212.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.35.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The specialty retailer reported $16.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $14.57. The company had revenue of $243.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.32 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 7.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 12.2% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 30,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,305 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 87,022 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 53.2% in the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,517 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 9,899 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 185,112 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,582,000 after buying an additional 16,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter worth $312,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.