Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Sells 160,687 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lessened its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 77.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 160,687 shares during the quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $5,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BABA. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 205 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 15,000.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BABA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Alibaba Group from $186.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Freedom Capital upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. HSBC set a $170.00 price target on Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, July 9th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $209.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.90.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:BABA opened at $116.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $278.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.51. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $91.99 and a 12-month high of $192.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.92. 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 (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%. Analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,772 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total value of $81,941.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 607,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,531.40. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $164,305.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 556,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,735,065.70. This 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. Insiders sold a total of 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts maintain an average Buy recommendation for Alibaba. While the consensus may be overly optimistic, the rating provides a supportive backdrop and suggests analysts see upside from current levels. Is Alibaba a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: A valuation analysis estimated that Alibaba could be approximately 41% undervalued based on discounted cash flow assumptions. The analysis suggests the market may already be pricing in substantial pessimism, including potential European Union regulatory fines. Alibaba Stock May Be 41% Undervalued
• Positive Sentiment: Jack Ma-backed OceanBase is reportedly seeking as much as $443 million to fund expansion in AI database services. Additional capital could help the Alibaba-linked business operate more independently and strengthen Alibaba’s broader AI and cloud ecosystem. Jack Ma-Backed OceanBase Seeks Funding for AI Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba advanced but continued to trail the broader market during the latest session, indicating that positive trading momentum has not yet translated into a clear change in its relative performance. Alibaba Ascends but Remains Behind Market
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have highlighted weakening cash flow as a risk, with heavy spending on AI, cloud computing and quick-commerce investments outpacing cash generation despite improving cloud revenue. This could constrain returns and weigh on long-term growth if investment does not produce stronger profits. Will Alibaba’s Cash Flow Weakness Hurt Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of Alibaba investors. Although no findings or liability were established, the investigation adds legal and headline risk to the shares. Pomerantz Investor Alert

Alibaba Group Company 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.