Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $187.05 According to Analysts

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $186.33.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $164.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Monday, September 7th.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba is reportedly in preliminary discussions with Spain’s Solaria to secure solar power from its Puertollano facility for a potential data center. The project could support Alibaba’s international cloud and AI infrastructure strategy while improving access to renewable energy. Alibaba in early talks with Spain’s Solaria over power for a data centre
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Alibaba’s growing investment in proprietary AI chips, including its Zhenwu V900 accelerator, and a plan to expand its AI models to ten trillion parameters. Stronger in-house hardware and cloud capabilities could reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and accelerate growth in the higher-margin cloud business. Alibaba: On Track To Becoming A Custom Silicon Powerhouse

Alibaba Group Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $105.91 on Wednesday. Alibaba Group has a twelve month low of $91.99 and a twelve month high of $191.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company’s 50 day moving average is $116.89 and its 200 day moving average is $120.37. The company has a market cap of $263.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.47.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $39.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.52 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.79% and a net margin of 7.00%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $14.75 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,764 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.58, for a total transaction of $91,855.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 613,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,337,644.70. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Hong Xu sold 103,046 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.68, for a total transaction of $1,409,669.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 406,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,560,236. This represents a 20.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 999,971 shares of company stock valued at $13,563,304. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aureus Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 511.0% during the first quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 9,361 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 7,829 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 259,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,567,000 after purchasing an additional 51,000 shares in the last quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 97.8% during the 2nd quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,019 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,647,000 after purchasing an additional 8,415 shares during the last quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 584,028 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 30,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $796,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a technology and commerce company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It operates a broad digital ecosystem connecting consumers, merchants, brands and businesses through online marketplaces and related services.

The company’s China commerce businesses include Taobao and Tmall, while its international commerce operations include Alibaba.com, AliExpress, Lazada and Trendyol. Alibaba also provides logistics services through Cainiao, consumer services through platforms such as Ele.me and Freshippo, and digital media and entertainment offerings.

Alibaba Cloud provides cloud computing, data management, artificial intelligence and other technology services to businesses and organizations.