Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 3.8% - Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 3.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $114.54 and last traded at $114.30. 9,144,091 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 20,605,817 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BABA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Alibaba Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a market cap of $287.60 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $126.47 and its 200-day moving average is $104.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,033.1% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 134,686 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $14,293,000 after purchasing an additional 122,800 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at $637,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 21.9% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 114,981 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $12,202,000 after purchasing an additional 20,654 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,252 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $89,000. 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.