Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd Sells 11,945 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Fairtree Asset Management reduced its Alibaba stake by 57.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,945 shares and leaving it with 8,751 shares worth about $1.283 million.
• Institutional interest in Alibaba remains strong overall, with several large investors sharply increasing positions and institutions now owning 13.47% of the stock.
• Analysts remain mixed but mostly positive: the stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $188.76, even as some firms cut targets or issued more bearish calls.

Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 57.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,751 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 11,945 shares during the period. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BABA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $881,554,000 after buying an additional 5,936,847 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 5,524,354 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $290,208,000. Trivest Advisors Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $202,126,000. Finally, Coatue Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 130.1% in the 3rd 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. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Nomura increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $188.76.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of Alibaba Group stock opened at $135.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $325.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 2.31 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. 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $131.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.55.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The business 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a yield of 72.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.60%.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains upbeat on Alibaba’s cloud and AI businesses, with several articles highlighting accelerating cloud growth, triple-digit AI revenue gains, and the view that BABA may be evolving into a more compelling AI growth stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish pieces argue the stock could be entering a “new era,” pointing to Alibaba’s large planned investment in cloud and AI infrastructure as a long-term growth catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba continues to attract attention from traders and analysts, with multiple “buy now” and valuation-focused articles reflecting strong interest but no fresh fundamental catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader Asia ADR trading was modestly weaker, which may have created some market pressure on Alibaba alongside other Chinese-listed names.
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article said BABA fell after heavy AI and cloud spending squeezed margins, reinforcing investor concern that the company is trading near-term profitability for long-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: A separate analysis warned that while Alibaba’s cloud promise remains intact, the stock still looks expensive relative to the current earnings profile.

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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