Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Benchmark Analyst Says

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at Benchmark from $118.00 to $190.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Benchmark’s price target suggests a potential upside of 31.35% from the stock’s current price.

BABA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.93.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA traded up $8.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $144.65. 38,869,916 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,184,744. Alibaba Group has a twelve month low of $68.36 and a twelve month high of $145.30. 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 firm has a market cap of $343.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $94.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.42.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 8.98%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $585,479,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $409,385,000 after buying an additional 3,740,150 shares during the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after buying an additional 3,448,152 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 454.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,959,954 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 208.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,995,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $254,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,024,640 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by 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.