Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Upgraded at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.75.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $131.52 on Wednesday. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $103.71 and a 12 month high of $192.67. The stock has a market cap of $314.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $133.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $40.71 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 40.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the first quarter valued at $254,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 313.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,778 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,470,000 after purchasing an additional 16,505 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the second quarter valued at $1,613,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 51.9% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 70,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,946,000 after purchasing an additional 23,925 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.