Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 329,375 call options on the company. This is an increase of 45% compared to the typical daily volume of 227,556 call options.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. North Ridge Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 100.3% in the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 59,000 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,960.0% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA stock opened at $162.11 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Alibaba Group has a one year low of $80.06 and a one year high of $163.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on BABA. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $165.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $162.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Sunday, August 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.40.

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.