Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 0.4% Higher - Still a Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) traded up 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $139.19 and last traded at $137.75. 7,913,517 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 18,753,952 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BABA. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Arete Research upgraded Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $144.07.

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Alibaba Group Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $333.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Alibaba Group by 6.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,578,000 after buying an additional 3,046 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $923,000. Institutional investors 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.