Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Arete

Key Points

• Arete upgraded Alibaba from "neutral" to "buy" and set a $190 price target, implying about a 17.17% upside from the prior close.
• Consensus among analysts is skewed positive—18 Buys, 2 Holds and 1 Sell—giving Alibaba an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.58.
• Shares opened at $162.15 (down ~2% on the day), with a 12‑month range of $84.42–$192.67 and a market cap of about $387.13 billion.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Arete from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $190.00 target price on the specialty retailer's stock. Arete's price objective points to a potential upside of 17.17% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on BABA. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $168.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Loop Capital set a $140.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nomura dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $215.00 to $193.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.58.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $162.15 on Wednesday. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $84.42 and a 12 month high of $192.67. The firm has a market cap of $387.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company's 50-day moving average price is $156.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.93.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 20,764,276 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,354,877,000 after buying an additional 140,579 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,038,318 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,079,229,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524,354 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,293,597 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $946,125,000 after acquiring an additional 26,156 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 2nd quarter worth $527,243,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,987,539 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $533,964,000 after purchasing an additional 448,484 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.

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