Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 1.5% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Market action: Shares rose 1.5% on Monday to $132.74 (intraday high $132.91) on about 9.7M shares traded, roughly 22% below average session volume.
• Analyst consensus: The stock has a "Moderate Buy" consensus with 16 Buys, 3 Holds and 1 Sell and an average price target of $195.17, while individual targets range roughly from $140 to $225.
• Financials and technicals: Alibaba has a $316.9B market cap, P/E of 18.3, low debt-to-equity (0.23) and current/quick ratios of 1.46, but the share price sits well below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages (~$157–$158).

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) traded up 1.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $132.91 and last traded at $132.7390. 9,698,631 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 12,459,470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $231.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $218.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $140.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $195.17.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

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 has a market capitalization of $316.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.33, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $157.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.23.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 40.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at about $254,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 46.6% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 3,743 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 2nd quarter worth $78,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 23.6% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,734 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,861 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is 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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