Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 0.2% - Should You Buy?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) rose 0.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $120.24 and last traded at $119.53. Approximately 3,880,472 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 20,664,627 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 0.5 %

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $126.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $284.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $38.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.19 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 155,440 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,180,000 after acquiring an additional 27,088 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $911,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 131.2% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 74,807 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,343,000 after purchasing an additional 42,446 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 10,245 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 3,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 18,465 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,566,000 after buying an additional 4,397 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.