Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $67.09 Million Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Free Report) by 19.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 534,794 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 86,484 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $67,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Trending Headlines about Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba shares rallied after reports highlighted improving optimism around its AI and cloud businesses, including commentary that AI-driven revenue could support earnings and a re-rating of the stock. Alibaba shares jump on AI cloud market
• Positive Sentiment: News that China may allow selected firms, including Alibaba, to access Nvidia’s H200 chips could support Alibaba’s AI development and cloud infrastructure plans. Related China AI chip access report
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba also received a temporary U.S. legal reprieve from certain Pentagon-linked lobbying restrictions, easing one source of regulatory pressure in the near term. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is updating internal AI policies in response to China’s tightening AI rules, including changes to its Qwen platform and restrictions on some third-party tools, which mainly signals compliance rather than an immediate financial impact. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba agreed to a $600 million non-prosecution settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over historic illegal pharmaceutical sales, adding a meaningful legal overhang and potential reputational drag. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-rights and securities-fraud law firms announced investigations into Alibaba, which can weigh on sentiment even if no wrongdoing has been proven. Howard G. Smith securities fraud investigation

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $209.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Alibaba Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.90.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total transaction of $2,126,906.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 280,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Fan (Fj) Jiang sold 13,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 556,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,735,065.70. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BABA traded up $1.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $112.30. 16,134,359 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,386,106. The business's 50 day moving average is $118.89 and its 200-day moving average is $136.48. The company has a market capitalization of $269.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. 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 results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%.The company had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.91%.

Alibaba Group 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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