Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 5% – Should You Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA – Get Free Report)’s stock price traded up 5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $107.70 and last traded at $105.3490. 14,587,033 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 28% from the average daily volume of 11,383,489 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.36.

Key Alibaba Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BABA has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. HSBC set a $170.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Monday, September 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.89.

Read Our Latest Report on Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Stock Up 5.0%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $108.93 and a 200-day moving average of $125.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $262.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.44.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by ($0.68). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 4.79%. The company had revenue of $39.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $14.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph Tsai purchased 720,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.29 per share, for a total transaction of $10,288,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 114,979,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,643,052,310.72. This represents a 0.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 999,971 shares of company stock valued at $13,563,304 in the last ninety days. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,206,634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $276,844,000 after buying an additional 86,613 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 754,749 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,441,000 after acquiring an additional 47,358 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 63.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 573,409 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $71,940,000 after acquiring an additional 222,666 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 104.6% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 564,818 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,862,000 after acquiring an additional 288,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 19.3% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 534,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $67,095,000 after acquiring an additional 86,484 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

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