Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 1.5% - Here's What Happened

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $125.22 and last traded at $124.75. 3,672,286 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 20,269,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.21.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $122.49 and a 200 day moving average of $107.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.8%. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. North Ridge Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 100.3% in the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 59,000 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,960.0% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 206 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 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.