Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA Position Lowered by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management reduced its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,484 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 37,312 shares during the period. Alibaba Group comprises approximately 1.6% of Meritage Portfolio Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $24,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth approximately $254,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 23.8% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,993 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,379,000 after purchasing an additional 3,456 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 11.1% in the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 7,058 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hardin Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.8% in the second quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,374 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI leadership and open-source momentum — reports highlight Alibaba’s Qwen achievements and the firm’s recommitment to open-source AI, cited as a catalyst for investor optimism. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory tailwinds for commerce/food delivery — China moves to curb price wars could relieve margin pressure for delivery and e-commerce players, a development that lifted Alibaba shares alongside peers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AI ecosystem wins — Alibaba-backed PixVerse launched a real-time AI video-generation tool, showcasing the company’s influence in fast, cost-efficient AI applications and reinforcing the AI narrative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated trading activity — markets show unusually large options volume in BABA, indicating heightened short-term interest and positioning but not a directional guarantee. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional mentions and analyst coverage — fund letters and analyst notes (e.g., Oakmark, Zacks) show continued investor focus and some upbeat analyst sentiment, which can support sentiment-driven buying. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Cash-flow and margin pressure — analysts warn Alibaba’s spending on AI, cloud and quick commerce is outpacing monetization, straining cash flow and making growth more expensive. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Cloud competition and profitability concerns — comparisons to Microsoft highlight Azure’s stronger margins and backlog, underscoring competitive headwinds for Alibaba’s cloud business and potential pressure on profits. Article Title

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA stock opened at $170.02 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $155.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $405.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.37. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52-week low of $81.82 and a 52-week high of $192.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BABA shares. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Freedom Capital cut Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Alibaba Group from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.84.

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.