Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lessened its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA – Free Report) by 8.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,715 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,445 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $7,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.
Key Alibaba Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s AI efforts continue to generate strategic interest: its Elements Claw AI agent reportedly discovered four new superconductors, and Alibaba also joined Kuaishou’s Kling AI fundraise alongside Tencent, signaling ongoing investment in China’s AI ecosystem. Article: Alibaba, Tencent back Kuaishou’s Kling AI in $2.8 billion fundraise
- Positive Sentiment: Alibaba’s move to streamline internal AI work tools and tighten security around employee use of third-party AI products may be seen as a governance and data-protection step, which could help reassure investors over time. Article: Alibaba Streamlines AI Work Tools as Competition Mounts
- Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage-coverage and “investor attention” headlines suggest BABA remains a heavily watched stock, but they do not add much new fundamental information by themselves. Article: Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
- Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba’s Damai International announced a new artist label and global initiative, which is a modest business update rather than a stock-moving catalyst. Article: Alibaba’s Damai International Introduces New Label, Launches Global Artist Initiative
- Negative Sentiment: Alibaba agreed to pay $600 million to settle U.S. allegations involving illegal pharmaceutical and chemical sales through its platforms, a major legal overhang that can weigh on sentiment and raise compliance concerns. Article: Alibaba to pay $600 million to U.S. for illegal pharmaceutical sales
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares add to a cautious tone, since large insider sales can be interpreted as reduced confidence, even if the sale may have been planned or tied to compensation. Article: Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) President Sells 720,000 Shares
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple headlines about Alibaba banning Anthropic’s Claude Code over alleged security or backdoor risks reinforce the idea of intensifying U.S.-China AI tensions and may keep investor sentiment cautious. Article: Alibaba to ban Claude Code in workplace over alleged backdoor risks, source says
Alibaba Group Trading Up 0.1%
Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%.The firm had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.91%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. HSBC boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. DZ Bank lowered Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, March 20th. Argus upgraded Alibaba Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.38.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BABA
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CEO Fan (Fj) Jiang sold 13,579 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $164,305.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 556,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,735,065.70. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Fang Jiang sold 4,898 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total value of $59,216.82. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,559,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,214,487.99. This represents a 0.09% 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.
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.
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