State of Michigan Retirement System Trims Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

State of Michigan Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 12.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 223,900 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 33,100 shares during the quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $28,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BABA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $881,554,000 after buying an additional 5,936,847 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $594,477,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth about $160,410,000. Third Point LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $120,928,000. Finally, Bbfit Investments PTE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $106,828,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Alibaba Group

In related news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president owned 28,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,658,600. This trade represents a 96.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $2,126,906.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 280,496 shares in the company, valued at $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370. Company insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC set a $170.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.90.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $112.30 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $118.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.83. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $91.99 and a 52-week high of $192.67. The company has a market cap of $269.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba is being linked to a broader rally in AI names, with reports highlighting its partnership with Honor to build AI “agentic” devices and renewed investor interest in the company’s AI/cloud growth story. Alibaba to team up with Honor in race to build AI agentic devices
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary suggests Alibaba may still trade at a discount to its intrinsic value, supported by AI cloud momentum and ongoing share buybacks, which could bolster bullish sentiment. Alibaba (BABA) Stock May Trade At A Discount After AI Cloud Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles note that Alibaba has been one of the stocks contributing to strong performance in leveraged ETFs tied to AI and tech gains, reflecting improving short-term momentum. 4 Best-Performing Leveraged ETFs of Last Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba remains a heavily watched stock, with new broker commentary and rising search interest suggesting traders are actively reassessing the name, but without a clear new catalyst in the note itself. Brokers Suggest Investing in Alibaba (BABA): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating claims on behalf of Alibaba investors, which can create legal overhang and pressure sentiment until more details are known. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Alibaba Group Holding Limited – BABA

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.