Clearbridge Investments LLC Trims Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its Alibaba stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 59,808 shares and ending with 1,167,370 shares valued at about $171.1 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive, with Alibaba carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of $188.76, even as some firms adjusted their price targets and ratings.
• Recent news flow has been mixed but includes catalysts, such as a Zacks upgrade, speculation about a possible bid for South Korea’s Homeplus, and broader attention to Alibaba as an AI-related China stock, while U.S. scrutiny on China tech could weigh on sentiment.

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,167,370 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 59,808 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $171,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its position in Alibaba Group by 316.9% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 271 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on BABA. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $188.76.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba was upgraded by Zacks Research from “strong sell” to “hold,” which suggests sentiment around the stock is improving modestly and may support investor confidence. Zacks Research upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba is being considered as a potential bidder for South Korea’s Homeplus, a move that could help expand its offline retail and e-commerce presence outside China if it decides to pursue the deal. Alibaba Weighs Homeplus Bid To Shape Offline Retail Expansion Abroad
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba was included in a report highlighting Chinese AI stocks to consider in 2026, reinforcing the market’s view that the company could benefit from rising interest in China’s AI and semiconductor ecosystem. 3 Chinese AI stocks to consider in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba and its Daraz unit met with government officials for a budget consultation, which may be relevant to policy and e-commerce discussion but does not appear to be an immediate stock-moving catalyst. Govt Holds Budget 2026-27 Consultation With Daraz and Alibaba
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate research roundup on Alibaba, Broadcom, and Cisco noted AI, networking, and cloud growth themes, which keeps Alibaba in the conversation as an AI and cloud-related name. Top Stock Reports for Broadcom, Cisco & Alibaba
• Negative Sentiment: Broader China tech sentiment has been pressured by fresh U.S. scrutiny over possible AI chip export loopholes benefiting Chinese firms, which can weigh on Alibaba shares even though the probe is more directly aimed at Nvidia. Trump Officials Worry US Loophole Let Chinese Firms Buy Nvidia Blackwell Chips

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $120.92 on Monday. 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 Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $103.71 and a fifty-two week high of $192.67. The stock has a market cap of $290.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $130.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.26.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share 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. Analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.75 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 $1.05 dividend. This represents a yield of 72.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. 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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