Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Raises Stake

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR increased its Alibaba stake by 6.5% in the third quarter, adding 7,955 shares to hold 130,221 shares valued at about $14 million. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Alibaba has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $183.53, though some firms maintain or shifted to hold ratings.
• Alibaba’s latest quarter showed mixed results: revenue of $39.64 billion slightly beat estimates and grew 8.6% year over year, while EPS of $1.26 missed the $1.94 consensus. Shares recently traded at $94.30, near their one-year low.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. increased its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,221 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,955 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.'s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $14,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,421 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,952,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,945 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 10,851 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 8,510 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,068,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,078 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler cut shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $183.53.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BABA traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $94.30. 11,681,096 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,312,458. The company has a market cap of $234.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $91.99 and a one year high of $181.10.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.94 by ($0.68). The business had revenue of $39.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.52 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.79% and a net margin of 7.00%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $14.75 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alibaba Group news, insider Fang Jiang sold 885,272 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.55, for a total transaction of $11,995,435.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,679,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,401,764.35. The trade was a 15.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Hong Xu sold 103,046 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.68, for a total value of $1,409,669.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 406,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,560,236. This represents a 20.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 999,971 shares of company stock worth $13,563,304 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.50% of the company's stock.

Key Alibaba Group News

Here's some of the latest news about BABA:

• Negative Sentiment: Reports say the U.S. Commerce Department is preparing rules that could block Chinese AI developers from remotely renting advanced chips hosted in overseas data centers. Because Alibaba Cloud’s relationship with Singapore-based Megaspeed is receiving scrutiny, investors are concerned the rules could limit access to computing capacity and weigh on AI-cloud growth. Article: Alibaba (BABA) Risks A Cloud Setback From New US AI Chip Rules
• Negative Sentiment: The Nvidia controversy has intensified attention on Chinese companies’ ties to U.S. technology. Reports tracing financing links between Alibaba-related units and Megaspeed add to uncertainty around potential chip-access restrictions. Article: Alibaba-Megaspeed financing link traced via Singapore, Malaysia units amid Nvidia chip scrutiny
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary also highlights short-term challenges and cash-flow pressures that may delay investors’ ability to realize Alibaba’s longer-term AI growth potential. Article: Alibaba’s AI Growth Prospects Remain Masked by Short-Term Challenges

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a technology and commerce company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It operates digital platforms that connect consumers, merchants, businesses and other participants in commerce. Its businesses include China-focused marketplaces such as Taobao and Tmall, international platforms including AliExpress and Alibaba.com, and Alibaba Cloud, which provides cloud computing and related technology services. The group also has operations in areas such as logistics, local services and digital media.

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