Candriam S.C.A. Has $70.86 Million Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. more than doubled its Alibaba stake in the first quarter, increasing holdings by 104.6% to 564,818 shares valued at about $70.86 million.
• Alibaba continues to see mixed analyst sentiment, with recent price targets ranging from $135 to $209 and an overall consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• Company insiders sold a large amount of stock recently, including CFO Hong Xu and President J. Michael Evans, with total insider sales topping $70.8 million over the last quarter.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 104.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 564,818 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 288,738 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $70,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,407,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 426 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. TrueWealth Financial Partners increased its position in Alibaba Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. TrueWealth Financial Partners now owns 4,361 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,418 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,840 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. HSBC set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Thursday. DZ Bank downgraded Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, March 20th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $209.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Alibaba Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.90.

Insider Activity at Alibaba Group

In related news, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total transaction of $2,126,906.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 280,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total value of $68,364,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 28,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,658,600. The trade was a 96.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370 over the last quarter. 12.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Alibaba Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba shares rallied after reports highlighted improving optimism around its AI and cloud businesses, including commentary that AI-driven revenue could support earnings and a re-rating of the stock. Alibaba shares jump on AI cloud market
• Positive Sentiment: News that China may allow selected firms, including Alibaba, to access Nvidia’s H200 chips could support Alibaba’s AI development and cloud infrastructure plans. Related China AI chip access report
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba also received a temporary U.S. legal reprieve from certain Pentagon-linked lobbying restrictions, easing one source of regulatory pressure in the near term. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is updating internal AI policies in response to China’s tightening AI rules, including changes to its Qwen platform and restrictions on some third-party tools, which mainly signals compliance rather than an immediate financial impact. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba agreed to a $600 million non-prosecution settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over historic illegal pharmaceutical sales, adding a meaningful legal overhang and potential reputational drag. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-rights and securities-fraud law firms announced investigations into Alibaba, which can weigh on sentiment even if no wrongdoing has been proven. Howard G. Smith securities fraud investigation

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.0%

BABA opened at $112.30 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $91.99 and a twelve month high of $192.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $118.89 and a 200-day moving average of $136.48. The stock has a market cap of $269.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. The business had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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

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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