Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $180.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $100.00.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $139.18 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.31. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $68.36 and a 52-week high of $145.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. Sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. LM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $855,000. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,194,000. Garde Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 1,696 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 27,077 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,518 shares during the period. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $337,000. 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.