Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Grows Stock Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer increased its Alibaba stake by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,782 additional shares to bring its total holding to 30,169 shares worth about $4.42 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own about 13.47% of Alibaba’s stock, suggesting continued professional interest in the company.
• Alibaba’s recent results and outlook remain mixed: it posted $0.01 EPS on $35.3 billion in revenue, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $188.76 and point to growth in cloud and AI as a key driver.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 23.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,169 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,782 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $4,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,038,318 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,079,229,000 after buying an additional 5,524,354 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,293,597 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $946,125,000 after purchasing an additional 26,156 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 17.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,987,539 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $533,964,000 after purchasing an additional 448,484 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Alibaba Group by 8.9% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,028,659 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $362,582,000 after purchasing an additional 166,134 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC raised its position in Alibaba Group by 130.1% in the third quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 1,996,593 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $356,851,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128,826 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA stock opened at $132.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $131.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.37. The company has a market cap of $317.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $103.71 and a 12 month high of $192.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. Sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 72.0%. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is presently 17.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on BABA shares. Nomura boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Argus raised Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $186.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $188.76.

Alibaba Group News Summary

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 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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