Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 1.4%

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) shot up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $76.25 and last traded at $75.89. 3,731,671 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 17,689,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BABA. Macquarie lowered Alibaba Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Mizuho reissued a "buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.91.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average price is $73.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company has a market cap of $191.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.93 and a beta of 0.46.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $19.12 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.44 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clarius Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 54,936 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,765,000 after buying an additional 3,084 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 384,537 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,355,000 after purchasing an additional 20,326 shares in the last quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 3,949 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 12,896 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,119,000 after buying an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is 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.