Rathbones Group PLC Increases Stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) by 10.2% in Q3, adding 6,254 shares to hold 67,827 shares worth roughly $12.12 million.
• Wall Street is mostly positive—an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $195.17 average price target (16 Buys, 3 Holds, 1 Sell)—but near-term risks include Alibaba's Q4 results on March 19, 2026 and leadership turnover in its Qwen AI division that may create execution uncertainty.

Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,827 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,254 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $12,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BABA. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the third quarter worth about $30,000. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 231.5% during the 3rd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 179 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 400 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nomura upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $193.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $195.17.

Trending Headlines about Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company sets up an AI task force led by CEO Eddie Wu to accelerate foundation-model work, signaling senior-level commitment and resource allocation to Qwen and broader AI initiatives. This can support investor confidence in Alibaba’s AI roadmap. Alibaba Forms AI Task Force After Qwen Leader Exit
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba hired a former Google DeepMind research scientist to bolster its Qwen AI team — a sign of talent acquisition to strengthen model development and competitiveness in generative AI. Alibaba Poaches Google DeepMind Research Scientist For Qwen AI Push
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes Alibaba and other Chinese names may be stabilizing after the selloff; technical signs suggest the market could be bottoming, which may attract value-oriented buyers if macro sentiment improves. Chinese Stocks May Be Bottoming. Alibaba and NetEase Look Attractive.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba announced it will report its December quarter (Q4) results on March 19, 2026 and scheduled a board meeting to approve results — an event risk that could drive volatility depending on revenue, margins, cloud performance and cash flow. Alibaba Group Will Announce December Quarter 2025 Results on March 19, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Demand from Alibaba and peers is lifting China’s domestic memory suppliers, which could help cloud and datacenter cost/availability over time but is an indirect, medium-term tailwind. Demand from Alibaba and Other Giants Boosts China’s Homegrown Memory Suppliers
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term headwinds: the Qwen AI division head resigned and several senior leaders reshuffled — this creates execution uncertainty even as management pledges more resources. Market reaction depends on clarity of the new organization and pace of model delivery. Alibaba CEO confirms departure of Qwen AI division head
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag fundamentals: cloud revenue growth is healthy but profitability, plunging profit, negative free cash flow and renewed regulatory pressure in China raise doubts about whether heavy AI spending will pay off. These concerns can cap multiple expansion until visibility improves. Can Alibaba Stock Overcome Weak Cloud Growth and Regulatory Pressure?

Alibaba Group Stock Up 0.5%

BABA opened at $130.98 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $312.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.43. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $95.73 and a twelve month high of $192.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $157.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BABA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.