Alibaba Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors bought 329,809 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 35% compared to the typical daily volume of 243,619 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 116.7% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA stock opened at $80.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.25. The stock has a market cap of $203.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.44.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.91.

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.