Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Rating Increased to Outperform at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has $165.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock, up from their previous price target of $104.00.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday. Benchmark increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA opened at $134.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $318.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. Alibaba Group has a 12-month low of $68.36 and a 12-month high of $145.30.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 12.89%. The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Research analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rings Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rings Capital Management LLC now owns 7,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Global Endowment Management LP lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Global Endowment Management LP now owns 7,570 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

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.