Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) had its target price increased by research analysts at Mizuho from $140.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 28.31% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on BABA. Bank of America increased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Arete Research raised shares of Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.14.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $132.49 on Friday. Alibaba Group has a fifty-two week low of $68.36 and a fifty-two week high of $148.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $314.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.58.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $38.19 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,881,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $289,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $237,000. Fluent Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 10,627 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $901,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.