Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 1% - Here's Why

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $82.79 and last traded at $82.53. 2,789,211 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 10,507,879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on BABA. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $115.13.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $196.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The firm's 50-day moving average is $86.88 and its 200-day moving average is $87.66.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $650,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,715,155 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the third 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 worth $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $383,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 9,205.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,697,358 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,801,240,000 after buying an additional 1,679,117 shares in the last quarter. 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.