Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares rose 1.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $108.45 and last traded at $106.35. 13,285,139 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 20,273,156 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Benchmark upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $256.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.64.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The company 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%. Analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.