Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on BABA. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.93.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 5.7 %

Alibaba Group stock opened at $143.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $95.43 and its 200 day moving average is $93.09. Alibaba Group has a 12-month low of $68.36 and a 12-month high of $145.30. The company has a market capitalization of $341.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.31.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released 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 return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 6.9% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,789,883 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $296,062,000 after purchasing an additional 178,999 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 47.1% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 100,975 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,715,000 after purchasing an additional 32,324 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $299,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Finally, Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 582.5% in the third quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC now owns 61,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,526,000 after purchasing an additional 52,489 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.