Polar Capital Holdings Plc Sells 57,479 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Polar Capital Holdings Plc decreased its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 590,917 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 57,479 shares during the quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $86,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter worth about $3,215,000. LFG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,381,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Global Advisors LLC now owns 7,764 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 584,028 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 30,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $696,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba unveiled its first suite of AI models built for robots, signaling a push into “physical AI” and more advanced AI agents beyond chatbots. That could improve Alibaba’s long-term growth story in cloud and enterprise AI. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also said billionaire investor Michael Burry boosted his Alibaba stake, highlighting confidence in the company’s AI capabilities and share buyback efforts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba is reportedly considering a $1.5 billion bid for Chinese grocery delivery company Pupu, which could expand its presence in local commerce and logistics if completed. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba also announced AI support tools for small and medium-sized businesses, reinforcing its push to monetize AI across its ecosystem, though the immediate stock impact is unclear. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba continues to face regulatory and geopolitical risks after the Pentagon blacklisted the company over alleged ties to the Chinese military; Alibaba denies the claim and says it will fight the designation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Chinese regulators also rebuked Alibaba over misleading discount practices during the 618 shopping festival, adding to scrutiny of its retail operations and potentially weighing on sentiment. Article Title

Alibaba Group Trading Down 1.4%

BABA stock opened at $110.99 on Wednesday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $103.71 and a twelve month high of $192.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $266.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.17.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly 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 during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.76.

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.