Abacus Wealth Partners LLC Takes $938,000 Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Abacus Wealth Partners opened a new position in Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter, buying 6,401 shares worth about $938,000.
• Institutional interest in Alibaba appears to be growing, with several other large investors also increasing or initiating stakes; institutional investors now own 13.47% of the company.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $188.76.

Abacus Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 6,401 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $938,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 313.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,778 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,470,000 after acquiring an additional 16,505 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,613,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 51.9% during 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on BABA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.76.

Key Alibaba Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms raised price targets on Alibaba, including Nomura, Morgan Stanley, Mizuho, HSBC, and JPMorgan, signaling continued confidence in the stock’s upside as analysts focus on its cloud and AI growth. Nomura adjusts Alibaba Group price target to $207
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba shares surged in Hong Kong as the company accelerated its pivot to AI, reinforcing the idea that investors are rewarding the shift toward higher-growth cloud and artificial intelligence businesses. Alibaba shares surge 7% in Hong Kong as firm accelerates pivot to AI
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted strong AI and cloud momentum, including triple-digit AI revenue growth and a 38% jump in cloud revenue, which supports the bull case that Alibaba’s heavy spending may eventually pay off. Alibaba Earnings: Cloud Acceleration Is A Bullish Catalyst
• Neutral Sentiment: The Trump-Xi summit ended with few concrete breakthroughs, but the absence of escalation is being viewed as a short-term plus for Chinese equities, including Alibaba. Trump-Xi Summit Ends With Few Breakthroughs
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba’s latest earnings report showed profits under pressure as the company ramped up AI, cloud, and commerce spending, with some analysts warning that margins may stay strained in the near term. BABA Q4 Profit Falls on Heavy Tech Spending

Alibaba Group Price Performance

BABA stock opened at $132.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.64 and a 200-day moving average of $149.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $103.71 and a 12 month high of $192.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $317.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a yield of 72.0%. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.92%.

About Alibaba Group

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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