Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Earns Buy Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $116.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 51.52% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on BABA. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $113.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $124.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.19.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA traded up $1.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $76.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,328,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,938,182. The company has a market cap of $194.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.13. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $30.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.59 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 8.44%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 6.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 184.6% during the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 139.3% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other 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.