Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Earns Buy Rating from Mizuho

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by research analysts at Mizuho in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $95.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Mizuho’s target price suggests a potential upside of 31.27% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BABA. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $90.00 price target (down from $110.00) on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, December 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.44.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $72.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $183.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $105.05. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.60.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The business had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.7% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.1% in the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 6,727 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.6% in the third quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,170 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 32.9% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 6.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,464 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in 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.