Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $106.75, but opened at $110.84. Alibaba Group shares last traded at $109.81, with a volume of 4,227,570 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on BABA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Benchmark lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 2.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $259.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $127.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted 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). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 59.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.