HSBC Issues Positive Forecast for Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price

Key Points

• HSBC raised its price target on Alibaba from $172 to $180, implying about 27.6% upside from the previous close.
• Several other analysts were also bullish, with firms like JPMorgan, Mizuho, and Arete Research lifting targets or ratings. The consensus view remains Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $189.
• Alibaba shares traded lower on the day to $141.08, even as the company reported recent quarterly revenue of $35.3 billion. The article also notes ongoing investor focus on Alibaba’s AI and cloud growth as a major future driver.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by investment analysts at HSBC from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,MarketScreener Latest Ratings reports. HSBC's price target indicates a potential upside of 27.59% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on BABA. Arete Research upgraded Alibaba Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut shares of Alibaba Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $189.00.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock traded down $4.74 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $141.08. The company had a trading volume of 16,619,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,937,049. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $338.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.61, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $131.54 and a 200-day moving average of $149.73. Alibaba Group has a 52 week low of $103.71 and a 52 week 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. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The business had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alibaba Group will post 4.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in Alibaba Group by 26.4% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC now owns 3,023 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 34.4% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in Alibaba Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,407,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Alibaba and reiterated an overweight view, while Barclays and Mizuho also lifted targets, reflecting growing confidence in the company’s AI/cloud growth story. Alibaba price target raises
• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles highlight Alibaba’s Cloud Intelligence revenue jumping 38% and AI revenue expanding rapidly, with multiple analysts arguing the market is underestimating the company’s AI monetization potential. Seeking Alpha AI boom article
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s latest earnings call reinforced that management is willing to keep investing aggressively in chips, infrastructure, models, and applications to build a “full-stack” AI business, which some investors see as a future growth driver. PYMNTS earnings article
• Neutral Sentiment: The U.S. approved H200 chip sales to about 10 Chinese firms, including Alibaba, which could help future AI development, but Reuters-linked reports say deliveries have not started and Beijing may still restrict purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba’s quarterly results missed earnings expectations, and several reports say core profit plunged sharply as heavy AI and e-commerce investment compressed margins and raised questions about when those bets will pay off. Alibaba earnings miss article
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage also noted that broader China tech stocks are softening as investors weigh slower growth and the risk that AI spending may take longer to translate into profits.

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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