Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Raised to Strong-Buy at BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Alibaba to a “strong‑buy” rating, joining other recent analyst upgrades and signaling renewed bullish interest in the stock.
• MarketBeat shows a consensus of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $188.75, reflecting 2 Strong Buy, 16 Buy, 4 Hold and 1 Sell recommendations.
• Near‑term and strategic catalysts include strong early traction in enterprise AI (Accio powering ~230,000 stores) and the new HappyHorse AI model, regulatory approvals supporting potential REIT spin‑offs, and an upcoming May 13 earnings release that could drive the share price.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by BNP Paribas Exane to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Loop Capital set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.75.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of BABA opened at $131.97 on Wednesday. Alibaba Group has a 1-year low of $103.71 and a 1-year high of $192.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $133.05 and a 200 day moving average of $151.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $40.71 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 313.0% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,778 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,470,000 after purchasing an additional 16,505 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,613,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 51.9% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 70,060 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,946,000 after acquiring an additional 23,925 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Key Alibaba Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas initiated coverage with an “Outperform” rating and a $209 price target — a bullish Wall Street endorsement that can support investor interest and the stock’s upside narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strong early traction for Alibaba’s enterprise AI products: Accio Work says it now powers ~230,000 online stores — evidence of rapid monetization potential from AI services beyond core e‑commerce. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba launched the HappyHorse AI video model with early developer access via fal — expands Alibaba’s generative AI footprint and could create new platform and cloud revenue streams. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approvals and REIT plans for infrastructure/cainiao assets (Hong Kong and Shenzhen go‑ahead reported) signal potential value unlocking via asset spin‑offs and a clearer capital allocation path. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Time and industry lists (Time100 profile; inclusion on Time’s AI A‑list) boost brand and tech credibility, supporting long‑term sentiment around Alibaba’s AI/cloud positioning. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba set a May 13 earnings / FY2026 results release — a near‑term catalyst that could move shares depending on revenue, cloud margins, and AI monetization commentary. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are debating valuation after recent share weakness — useful for investors weighing risk/reward but not immediate drivers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (FY26 to $4.16, FY27 to $6.37) and kept a “Hold” rating — analyst downgrades may pressure sentiment and lower near‑term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Some institutional portfolio reshuffling has led to Alibaba being trimmed in certain funds, which can create selling pressure even as the company shifts strategy. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and articles note domestic e‑commerce growth remains less attractive — this structural weakness could limit upside from China retail operations even as cloud/AI improve. Article Title

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.

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