Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $20.67 Million Stock Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its Alibaba stake by 3.9% in the first quarter, adding 6,109 shares to bring its total to 164,744 shares worth about $20.67 million.
• Alibaba continues to draw positive AI-related attention, including growth in its Cloud+AI business and reports that its Qwen model will power Apple Intelligence features in China.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on the stock, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with an average target price of $186.90.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 164,744 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,109 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $20,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 205 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 15,000.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s Qwen AI agent is being positioned as a core driver of transformation, with deeper integration into e-commerce, stronger merchant/customer engagement, and potential token-based monetization. The company’s Cloud+AI segment is also highlighted as a major growth engine, with external revenue above $5.3 billion and triple-digit AI growth for 11 straight quarters. Alibaba: Qwen Powering AI Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s international commerce arm is reportedly nearing break-even as logistics improvements, AI tools, and better monetization support more profitable global expansion. That suggests a potentially improving margin profile outside China. BABA's International Commerce Narrows Losses: Can It Sustain Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba confirmed its Qwen large language model will power Apple Intelligence features on Apple devices in China, a notable commercialization milestone that could strengthen Alibaba’s AI credibility and revenue opportunities. Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) Joins Apple Intelligence In China, Is The Stock Still Undervalued?
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba-backed AGTech agreed to help build a trading platform for the Hong Kong Gold Exchange, but this appears to be a smaller, indirect development with limited immediate impact on BABA’s core valuation. Alibaba-backed fintech AGTech agrees to build trading platform for Hong Kong Gold Exchange
• Negative Sentiment: Recent headlines about securities class-action investigations add legal overhang and may weigh on sentiment, even if the claims are still in the early stages. ROSEN, A GLOBALLY RESPECTED LAW FIRM, Encourages Alibaba Group Holding Limited Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation - BABA

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BABA. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $209.00 target price for the company. Finally, HSBC set a $170.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alibaba Group

In related news, insider Fang Jiang sold 4,898 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total transaction of $59,216.82. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,559,511 shares in the company, valued at $67,214,487.99. This represents a 0.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $2,126,906.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 280,496 shares in the company, valued at $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370 over the last quarter. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $112.26 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $114.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51. 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 Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $91.99 and a 1 year high of $192.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. As a group, research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group's payout ratio is 16.91%.

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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