Independent Advisor Alliance Increases Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Independent Advisor Alliance increased its Alibaba stake by 66% in the fourth quarter, buying 7,291 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 18,341 shares valued at about $2.69 million.
• Several other major investors also boosted their positions, and hedge funds and institutional investors now own about 13.47% of Alibaba. That points to continued institutional interest in the stock.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on Alibaba, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and a $189 average price target. Recent commentary has also been positive on Alibaba’s AI and cloud growth, though profitability remains under pressure from heavy investment.

Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 66.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,341 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,291 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $2,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 5,524,354 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,293,597 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $946,125,000 after buying an additional 26,156 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,987,539 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $533,964,000 after buying an additional 448,484 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,028,659 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $362,582,000 after buying an additional 166,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,128,826 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $186.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $189.00.

Key Stories Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street raised confidence in Alibaba’s AI/cloud turnaround, with HSBC, JPMorgan, Barclays, and Mizuho all lifting targets and reiterating bullish ratings. MarketScreener Latest Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s cloud business grew 38% year over year, reinforcing the view that AI and cloud are becoming the company’s main growth engines. Alibaba quarterly revenue rises 3%, missing estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management said AI spending may rise above prior plans, suggesting Alibaba is leaning harder into its long-term AI strategy and may be building a stronger competitive position. AI Is Becoming Alibaba's New Money Machine: Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching China-related headlines, including reports that the U.S. approved Nvidia H200 sales to Chinese firms such as Alibaba, which could matter for the broader AI ecosystem but is not a direct earnings driver yet. Nvidia Stock Extends Winning Streak On China News
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba’s quarterly results still showed pressure on profitability, with earnings missing estimates as heavy AI and commerce investment weighed on margins and core profit. Alibaba's core profit plunges 84% even as AI and cloud growth accelerate
• Negative Sentiment: The revenue beat/ miss mix was not clean: overall revenue growth was modest, and investors remain concerned that AI spending could take time to translate into stronger near-term profits. Alibaba's Quarterly Profitability Still Under Pressure

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $141.08 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $149.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $338.45 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.50. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $103.71 and a 52-week high of $192.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.82%. Equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a yield of 72.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.92%.

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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