Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 0.1% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shot up 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $145.20 and last traded at $142.92. 6,817,401 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 18,901,652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BABA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $113.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.73. The company has a market cap of $339.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.27.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 225.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $52,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by 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.