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

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 329,809 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 35% compared to the average volume of 243,619 call options.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA traded up $5.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $80.68. The company had a trading volume of 24,570,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,835,264. Alibaba Group has a 52 week low of $66.63 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The stock has a market cap of $204.73 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.80. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $73.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $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 business had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.91.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 184.6% during the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 116.7% during the third quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

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.