Insider Selling: Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) CFO Sells $2,126,906.10 in Stock

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $2,126,906.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 280,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 2.1%

BABA stock opened at $97.95 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $123.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.69. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $91.99 and a fifty-two week high of $192.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The company 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 expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $172.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, March 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $186.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BABA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% during 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 buying an additional 5,936,847 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,038,318 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,079,229,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524,354 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter worth $594,477,000. Coatue Management LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 1,128,826 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at $160,410,000. Institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary still argues Alibaba’s AI-powered commerce ecosystem, merchant monetization, and quick commerce expansion could support growth into FY2027, suggesting the core business thesis remains intact.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insider sales were disclosed by top executives and a director, but the filings say at least some were tied to tax withholding on vested equity awards rather than a clear negative signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank trimmed its earnings estimates for FY2027 and FY2028, but the revisions were small, so this looks more like a modest caution signal than a major change in outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba and an Ant Group subsidiary agreed to pay $600 million to settle DOJ claims that they failed to prevent illegal sales on Alibaba.com and AliExpress, which raises legal and reputational concerns. Article: Alibaba, U.S. Payment Processor to Pay $600 Million in DOJ Settlement Over Illegal Drug Sales
• Negative Sentiment: A separate investor-investigation headline from a shareholder law firm may also weigh on sentiment, because it increases the risk of further legal scrutiny even though no wrongdoing has been proven. Article: BABA Investors Have Opportunity to Join Alibaba Group Holding Limited Fraud Investigation with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider and institutional selling headlines, including a large stock sale by President J. Michael Evans, can reinforce a cautious tone around the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional pressure may be coming from policy and trade concerns, including the EU’s new fee on low-value Chinese e-commerce parcels and reports that Alibaba is losing lobbyists under U.S. restrictions.

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.