QRG Capital Management Inc. Increases Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management increased its Alibaba stake by 15% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 43,469 shares valued at about $5.45 million.
• Alibaba saw notable insider selling, including President J. Michael Evans selling 720,000 shares and CEO Fan (Fj) Jiang selling additional shares, with insiders selling 920,303 shares over the last 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive overall: Alibaba has a Moderate Buy rating consensus and an average price target of $187.38, while shares recently traded around $96.25.

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 15.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,469 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,661 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $5,454,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 54,235 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,950,000 after acquiring an additional 5,760 shares in the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,266,000. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 584,028 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 30,644 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 61.9% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 50,123 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,347,000 after buying an additional 19,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forteris Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $749,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total transaction of $68,364,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 28,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,658,600. This represents a 96.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Fan (Fj) Jiang sold 13,579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total value of $164,305.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 556,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,735,065.70. This represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370 in the last ninety days. 12.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on BABA shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. DZ Bank lowered 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 note on Friday, March 20th. Nomura dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $187.38.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BABA opened at $96.25 on Monday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $91.99 and a twelve month high of $192.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $230.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $121.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.89.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. As a group, analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.66 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. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s AI efforts continue to generate strategic interest: its Elements Claw AI agent reportedly discovered four new superconductors, and Alibaba also joined Kuaishou’s Kling AI fundraise alongside Tencent, signaling ongoing investment in China’s AI ecosystem. Article: Alibaba, Tencent back Kuaishou's Kling AI in $2.8 billion fundraise
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s move to streamline internal AI work tools and tighten security around employee use of third-party AI products may be seen as a governance and data-protection step, which could help reassure investors over time. Article: Alibaba Streamlines AI Work Tools as Competition Mounts
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage-coverage and “investor attention” headlines suggest BABA remains a heavily watched stock, but they do not add much new fundamental information by themselves. Article: Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba’s Damai International announced a new artist label and global initiative, which is a modest business update rather than a stock-moving catalyst. Article: Alibaba's Damai International Introduces New Label, Launches Global Artist Initiative
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba agreed to pay $600 million to settle U.S. allegations involving illegal pharmaceutical and chemical sales through its platforms, a major legal overhang that can weigh on sentiment and raise compliance concerns. Article: Alibaba to pay $600 million to U.S. for illegal pharmaceutical sales
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares add to a cautious tone, since large insider sales can be interpreted as reduced confidence, even if the sale may have been planned or tied to compensation. Article: Alibaba Group NYSE: BABA President Sells 720,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple headlines about Alibaba banning Anthropic’s Claude Code over alleged security or backdoor risks reinforce the idea of intensifying U.S.-China AI tensions and may keep investor sentiment cautious. Article: Alibaba to ban Claude Code in workplace over alleged backdoor risks, source says

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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