Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 453,201 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 88% compared to the typical daily volume of 240,735 call options.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA traded up $2.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.16. The company had a trading volume of 21,072,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,289,486. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $86.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.59. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $66.63 and a 12 month high of $117.82. The firm has a market cap of $202.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.30.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $106.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $115.13.

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.