Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its Alibaba stake by 7.1% in the first quarter, selling 140,394 shares and ending with 1,823,782 shares valued at about $228.8 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on the stock, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.90, even though some firms have recently trimmed targets or kept neutral ratings.
• Alibaba has also seen notable insider selling, including CFO Hong Xu and General Counsel Siying Yu, while the company continues to draw attention for its AI progress and ongoing securities-class-action investigations.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,823,782 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 140,394 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.08% of Alibaba Group worth $228,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 95.2% in the first quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 205 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 15,000.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nomura reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research raised Alibaba Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.90.

Insider Transactions at Alibaba Group

In other Alibaba Group news, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $2,126,906.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 280,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,408,026.40. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,772 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $81,941.20. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 607,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,531.40. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370. Insiders own 12.50% of the company's stock.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $114.09 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $91.99 and a one year 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 cap of $273.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.51. The firm's fifty day moving average is $114.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.23.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%. Research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 EPS for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is 16.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s AI efforts got another boost after a unit said its “5-in-1” AI system can give robots a unified brain, body, and limbs, reinforcing the company’s push into next-generation robotics and applied AI. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment may also be supported by news that Alibaba’s Qwen model will power Apple Intelligence features in China, a meaningful commercialization milestone for its AI platform. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators continue to highlight Alibaba’s steady AI progress, suggesting the company is building credibility as a competitive AI player. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba-backed AGTech signed a technical services agreement to build a trading platform for the Hong Kong Gold Exchange, a business-development update with limited direct near-term impact on BABA. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms launched or expanded securities-class-action investigations into Alibaba, alleging possible misleading disclosures, which can add legal uncertainty and pressure the shares. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Separate investor alerts from Rosen and Pomerantz may keep litigation concerns in focus and contribute to the stock’s underperformance versus the broader market. Article

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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