Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Posts Earnings Results

Key Points

• Alibaba Group missed quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.89 earnings per share, falling short of the expected $2.13 by $0.24.
• The company currently holds a market cap of $285.36 billion and has a P/E ratio of 16.06.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Alibaba, with a target price averaging $159.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The specialty retailer reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.24), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $34.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.28 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 13.09%. Alibaba Group's quarterly revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $16.44 EPS.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE BABA traded up $2.03 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $137.03. The company had a trading volume of 27,992,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,200,865. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $80.06 and a one year high of $148.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $117.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.80. The stock has a market cap of $326.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Arete lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $153.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $165.00 price objective on Alibaba Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on Alibaba Group from $176.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $164.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $254,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares during the period. Finally, Onex Canada Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $817,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

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.