Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $119.81 and last traded at $118.35, with a volume of 43876099 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $112.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BABA shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.86.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $296.71 billion, a PE ratio of 25.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $90.47 and its 200-day moving average is $90.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $585,479,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $650,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,715,155 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $409,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,740,150 shares during the last quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 64.1% in the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 454.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,611,571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959,954 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.