Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Cuts Stock Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd reduced its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 77.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 53,310 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $1,921,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors grew its position in Alibaba Group by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,505,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $953,527,000 after buying an additional 466,847 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $881,554,000 after acquiring an additional 5,936,847 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,335,894 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $782,135,000 after acquiring an additional 42,297 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth about $594,477,000. Finally, Coatue Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 130.1% during the 3rd quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 1,996,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $356,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128,826 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba rallied after a leaked earnings preview pointed to a return to top-line growth in its core e-commerce business, which helped support pre-earnings optimism. Alibaba stock: Cathie Wood isn’t buying the AI hype
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that China may ease restrictions on advanced Nvidia H200 chip imports boosted the broader AI ecosystem, lifting Alibaba alongside other China tech names because easier access to high-end chips could aid AI development and cloud demand. AI Weekly: Samsung’s massive profits, Microsoft’s big layoffs
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted Alibaba’s AI-first cloud investment thesis, with investors viewing its heavy capital spending as better justified by financial results and potential long-term cloud monetization. Alibaba stock just got a major boost as financials justify its CapEx
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba benefited from a broader rally in Chinese AI and internet stocks, with investors rotating into the sector after a period of underperformance. Alibaba Stock Leads China AI Rally, Just as U.S. Tech Stumbles
• Neutral Sentiment: News that China could restrict global access to Alibaba’s AI models is a policy overhang, but the immediate market focus appears to be on the company’s growth outlook and AI momentum rather than a major direct earnings hit. China could restrict global access to Alibaba and ByteDance AI models as Beijing tightens its grip on advanced AI: report
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba still faces securities-fraud investigation headlines, which can weigh on sentiment even if they have been overshadowed by the AI-driven rally. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA) Continues

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Nomura dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $186.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Alibaba Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.90.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of BABA opened at $111.26 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $119.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.65. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $91.99 and a one year high of $192.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $267.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.51.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share 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 for the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is presently 16.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, insider Fang Jiang sold 4,898 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total transaction of $59,216.82. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,559,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,214,487.99. The trade was a 0.09% decrease in their position. 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. 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.