Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 0.6% - Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $127.06 and last traded at $126.52. Approximately 4,594,359 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 20,536,810 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Alibaba Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $124.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $297.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $38.38 billion during 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, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 3,343 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 38,716 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,119,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.0% in the first quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 12,763 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,696,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the period. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $17,335,000. Finally, AM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 1st quarter worth $307,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

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.