Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $125.00 to $170.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on BABA. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.93.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA traded up $7.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $143.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 73,657,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,282,477. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.88. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $68.36 and a one year high of $145.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $341.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.31.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. On average, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $409,385,000 after buying an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 454.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 208.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $254,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024,640 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

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.