Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.35 EPS

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The specialty retailer reported $15.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $15.28 by $0.35, MarketWatch Earnings reports. The company had revenue of $224.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $224.48 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 9.45%. Alibaba Group’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $77.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69 and a beta of 0.67. Alibaba Group has a 52-week low of $74.58 and a 52-week high of $121.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $84.54 and a 200 day moving average of $87.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 322.7% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,029,238 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,303,636,000 after purchasing an additional 11,473,618 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 108,264.6% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,711,488 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $326,945,000 after purchasing an additional 3,708,063 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 461.2% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,215,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $365,686,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464,723 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 39.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,034,187 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,127,475,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 650.4% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,172,551 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,887,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BABA. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 11th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $131.20.

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.