Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 86,484 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 19.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 534,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 86,484 shares during the quarter. 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 made changes to their positions in BABA. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 7.7% in 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. lifted its stake 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 holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,335,894 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $782,135,000 after acquiring an additional 42,297 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $594,477,000. Finally, Coatue Management LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 130.1% during the 3rd quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 1,996,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $356,851,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128,826 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Argus upgraded shares of Alibaba Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. DZ Bank cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Nomura decreased their price target on Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. 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, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.90.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,772 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $81,941.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 607,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,347,531.40. This represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $164,305.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 556,617 shares in the company, valued at $6,735,065.70. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group News Summary

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

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Alibaba Group stock traded up $1.16 on Friday, reaching $112.30. 16,134,359 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,386,106. 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. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52 week low of $91.99 and a 52 week 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $118.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.48.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group’s payout ratio is 16.91%.

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.