Brokerages Set Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Price Target at $148.14

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $148.14.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BABA. Benchmark raised their price target on 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 Alibaba Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of BABA stock opened at $116.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $68.36 and a 12 month high of $148.43. The firm has a market cap of $276.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $125.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.96.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Research analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.