Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Up 0.2% - Here's What Happened

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $127.77 and last traded at $126.04. Approximately 4,197,421 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 20,519,599 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Alibaba Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $124.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.98. The company has a market cap of $299.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 13.4% in the first quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 4,733 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. Accent Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. IPG Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,082 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,598,000 after buying an additional 1,731 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 481.2% in the first quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 15,540 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 12,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 32.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 223,303 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,527,000 after purchasing an additional 54,264 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.