Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 0.5% Higher - Here's Why

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $85.89 and last traded at $85.59. Approximately 1,924,018 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 17,358,408 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, December 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $91.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.64. The company has a market cap of $203.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. Alibaba Group's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 41.7% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 29,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,203,000 after purchasing an additional 8,685 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth about $124,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 20,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,122,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,533 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.