Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 7.4% - Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 7.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $115.94 and last traded at $115.68. 17,203,222 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 20,526,881 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BABA. Barclays upped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Alibaba Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 2.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $260.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm's fifty day moving average is $127.14 and its 200-day moving average is $104.77.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Appaloosa LP grew its position in Alibaba Group by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 11,843,158 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,004,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,843,158 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $585,479,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,676,773 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $566,124,000 after buying an additional 438,537 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,093,828 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $431,906,000 after buying an additional 78,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,610,035 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $390,885,000 after purchasing an additional 752,275 shares during the last quarter. 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.