Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 1.3% Higher - Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $133.85 and last traded at $134.48. Approximately 5,156,452 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 18,999,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.75.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BABA. Bank of America raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.14.

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Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $121.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.45. The company has a market capitalization of $314.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G 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 the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. As a group, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $901,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.