Brandes Investment Partners LP Cuts Stock Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Brandes Investment Partners LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 639,228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 17,993 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $93,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

BABA stock opened at $119.68 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $287.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.47. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1 year low of $103.71 and a 1 year high of $192.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $130.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.70.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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 72.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on BABA shares. HSBC increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Mizuho increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nomura increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.76.

Key Stories Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Negative Sentiment: The Pentagon added Alibaba to its Chinese military-linked list, raising geopolitical risk and potentially restricting access to U.S. defense contracts. Pentagon Adds Alibaba, Baidu, BYD and Nio to Chinese Military-Linked List
• Negative Sentiment: Investor focus remains on Alibaba’s aggressive AI spending, which some reports say is a larger drag on the stock than the Pentagon action. Alibaba Stock Has Bigger Problems Than the Pentagon’s China List
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba rejected the military-company label and said it sees no business impact from the designation. Alibaba Rejects U.S. Military Company Label, Sees No Business Impact
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba continues to build out its AI business, including a new Token Foundry unit that could support longer-term growth. Alibaba CEO Takes Direct Control of New AI Business Unit

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.