Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares traded up 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $139.19 and last traded at $137.75. 7,913,517 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 18,753,952 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Benchmark boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $328.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $108.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.90. 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) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% during the fourth quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $901,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. LM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $855,000. Finally, Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,194,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.