Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 0.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price traded up 0.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as $87.01 and last traded at $86.90. 3,334,916 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 17,571,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Macquarie raised Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two equities 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, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $98.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.01. The firm has a market cap of $209.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 139.3% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the second quarter worth $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 155.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.