Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $148.14.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $901,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $132.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $314.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $121.60 and a 200-day moving average of $102.45. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $68.36 and a one year high of $148.43. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.