Private Management Group Inc. Sells 37,767 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Private Management Group Inc. reduced its Alibaba stake by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 37,767 shares and leaving it with 194,579 shares worth about $28.5 million.
• Alibaba is facing several negative headlines, including Beijing’s reported rebuke over discount tactics, a new U.S. military-affiliation designation, and ex-dividend pressure that helped weigh on the stock.
• Despite the recent weakness, Wall Street still has a Moderate Buy consensus on BABA, with analysts’ average price target at $188.76 and the shares trading down 2.3% to $112.67 in the report.

Private Management Group Inc. trimmed its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 194,579 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 37,767 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $28,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 101.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Negative Sentiment: Beijing reportedly rebuked major e-commerce platforms over misleading discount tactics during the 618 shopping festival, renewing regulatory scrutiny of Alibaba and JD.com and raising concerns about margin pressure and tighter oversight. Alibaba and JD Slide After Beijing Rebuke
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba was also linked to a fresh U.S. military-affiliation designation, adding geopolitical and regulatory risk for the U.S.-listed ADR and potentially discouraging institutional buyers. Alibaba slides as U.S. military-link designation and ex-dividend trade weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also traded ex-dividend, which mechanically lowers the share price on the session and can amplify weakness when sentiment is already fragile. Alibaba slides as U.S. military-link designation and ex-dividend trade weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Media coverage also highlighted broader pressure on Chinese ADRs, with Alibaba, PDD Holdings, and JD.com facing increased scrutiny amid geopolitical and policy concerns. Thursday's Final Takeaways: ECB & Chinese ADRs Under Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate articles noted a bullish valuation case for BABA and a positive analyst price-target backdrop, but these did not appear to outweigh the day’s regulatory overhang. Is Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BABA has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. DZ Bank cut shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Nomura raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $188.76.

Alibaba Group Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of BABA stock opened at $112.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $270.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.47. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1-year low of $103.71 and a 1-year high of $192.67. The business has a 50-day moving average of $130.29 and a 200 day moving average of $144.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio is 15.60%.

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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