Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Stock Has Average Target Price of $182.89 According to Analysts

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $182.89.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $164.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Monday, September 7th.

Insider Activity at Alibaba Group

In related news, Director Joseph C. Tsai purchased 720,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.29 per share, for a total transaction of $10,288,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 114,979,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,643,052,310.72. The trade was a 0.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Fang Jiang sold 885,272 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.55, for a total transaction of $11,995,435.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,679,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,401,764.35. The trade was a 15.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 999,971 shares of company stock worth $13,563,304 over the last 90 days. 12.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 324.4% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 938 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2,775.0% during the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 185,036 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $19,899,000 after buying an additional 178,600 shares in the last quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 85.2% during the 3rd quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,519 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,390,000 after buying an additional 14,500 shares in the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Finally, Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $398,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $98.08 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $91.99 and a 1 year high of $181.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.47.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.94 by ($0.68). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.79% and a net margin of 7.00%. The company had revenue of $39.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $14.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a technology and commerce company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It operates a broad digital ecosystem that connects consumers, merchants, brands and businesses through online marketplaces, technology platforms and related services.

The company’s China commerce businesses include Taobao, a consumer-focused marketplace, and Tmall, which enables brands and retailers to sell directly to consumers. Alibaba also operates 1688, a business-to-business wholesale marketplace.