Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its Alibaba stake by 59.2% in Q1, adding 8,461 shares to bring its total to 22,762 shares worth about $2.86 million.
• Alibaba is facing fresh legal and reputational pressure after Anthropic alleged it used fraudulent accounts to access Claude AI capabilities, and reports said the stock fell to a 16-month low in Hong Kong amid the controversy.
• Despite the negative headlines, analysts remain generally constructive: several firms raised or maintained bullish targets, and the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $187.38.

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 59.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,762 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 8,461 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $2,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,505,165 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $953,527,000 after purchasing an additional 466,847 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $881,554,000 after purchasing an additional 5,936,847 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,335,894 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $782,135,000 after purchasing an additional 42,297 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $594,477,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,987,539 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $533,964,000 after acquiring an additional 448,484 shares during the period. 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:

• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic alleged that Alibaba used about 25,000 fraudulent accounts to obtain illicit access to Claude AI model capabilities, escalating fears of legal, regulatory, and reputational fallout. Anthropic says Alibaba illicitly extracted Claude AI model capabilities
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports said Alibaba shares fell to a 16-month low in Hong Kong as investors reacted to the AI theft accusations, showing the market is pricing in higher risk around the company’s AI strategy. Alibaba Slides to 16-Month Low After Anthropic’s AI Accusations
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba’s separate lawsuit against the U.S. Defense Department over its “Chinese military company” designation adds another layer of geopolitical and regulatory overhang for investors. Alibaba sues the US Defense Department in a bid to remove 'Chinese military company' designation
• Neutral Sentiment: Nomura lowered its price target on Alibaba while keeping a buy rating, signaling continued upside expectations but a more cautious near-term view. Nomura adjusts Alibaba price target to 178 from 207, maintains buy rating

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of BABA stock opened at $94.97 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $94.71 and a 52-week high of $192.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $126.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.42.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is 16.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. DZ Bank cut Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 20th. HSBC lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $209.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $187.38.

Alibaba Group 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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