Alibaba Group Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 329,809 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 35% compared to the average daily volume of 243,619 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 184.6% during the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 116.7% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of Alibaba Group stock traded up $5.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $80.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 24,570,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,835,264. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Alibaba Group has a 12-month low of $66.63 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The company has a market capitalization of $204.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.21.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The company had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.44 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.91.

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.