Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $115.13.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. 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 report on Wednesday, October 9th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 3.3 %

NYSE:BABA opened at $85.16 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $86.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.59. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $66.63 and a one year high of $117.82.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Evolution Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,505 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 10,218 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its position in Alibaba Group by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 13,680 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,976,000. 13.47% of the stock is 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.