Benchmark Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by analysts at Benchmark from $190.00 to $176.00 in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. Benchmark's target price would suggest a potential upside of 41.14% from the company's previous close.

BABA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $154.21.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE BABA traded up $1.74 on Friday, hitting $124.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,717,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,689,357. The firm has a market cap of $297.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $71.80 and a 52-week high of $148.43. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $123.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.19 billion. Research analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. North Ridge Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 100.3% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 59,000 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in Alibaba Group by 1,960.0% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 206 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at $31,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.