Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 0.9%

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) were up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $76.93 and last traded at $75.81. Approximately 6,283,102 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 17,882,230 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BABA. Barclays lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 12th. Macquarie lowered shares of Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $88.50 to $85.40 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.91.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $191.70 billion, a PE ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $73.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 2,250 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,066,000. MONECO Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.4% in the first quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 5,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. LifePro Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $4,312,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 990 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 142 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.