North of South Capital LLP Trims Stock Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

North of South Capital LLP reduced its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 35,003 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,057,866 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group comprises about 0.6% of North of South Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. North of South Capital LLP’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $6,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton acquired a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 65.0% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 330 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 33.3% during the second quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. increased its position in Alibaba Group by 2,935.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 425 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: Analyst bullishness on AI & cloud — JB Global Capital highlighted Alibaba’s AI and cloud growth and valued the business at about 18x earnings, framing cloud/AI as a high-growth justification for the stock’s premium. JB Global Capital Highlights Alibaba (BABA)’s AI and Cloud Growth at 18x Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Open-source AI traction — Alibaba’s Qwen models have reached ~700M downloads, supporting leadership in China’s open-source AI ecosystem and strengthening cloud/AI monetization potential. Alibaba’s Qwen family hits 700 million downloads
• Positive Sentiment: Policy tailwinds for AI adoption — Beijing’s “AI+ Manufacturing” push and targeted support for innovative SMEs were cited as catalysts that could accelerate cloud/AI spending in China, benefiting Alibaba Cloud. Two big reasons why Alibaba stock is rallying today
• Positive Sentiment: Product & regulatory positives — Alibaba’s open-source AI adoption and new AI services (e.g., restaurant tools) plus a possible regulatory boost for its food-delivery arm were cited as reasons the stock jumped earlier in the week. Why Alibaba Stock Soared Today
• Positive Sentiment: Investor flow signal — unusually large call-option volume suggests some traders are positioning for further upside, a short-term bullish indicator (275k calls traded vs ~245k typical).
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer comparison — analyses weighing Amazon vs Alibaba highlight reacceleration in cloud for both companies; this frames Alibaba as competitive but not uniquely advantaged in global cloud growth. Better Growth Stock to Buy Right Now: Amazon or Alibaba?
• Neutral Sentiment: Ant / ecosystem developments — moves like Ant International partnering on Google’s commerce protocol or Alibaba-backed robotics funding are ecosystem positives but have indirect, longer-term impact on BABA equity. Ant International Partners with Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate investments in robotics/startups — participation in rounds (e.g., X Square Robot) supports long-term tech exposure but is not an immediate earnings driver. X Square Robot Raises USD143 Million
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term market/futures weakness — U.S. futures and macro/legal headlines (DOJ/Fed items) have weighed on premarket sentiment and contributed to a pullback after the Jan. 12 rally. Stock Market Today: Futures Tumble; Alibaba In Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Export controls & tech headwinds — executive comments and reporting about U.S. export controls creating an advantage for U.S. AI suppliers are a potential headwind for Alibaba’s ability to source cutting-edge chips/tools. ‘Stretched thin’: Qwen chief on export controls
• Negative Sentiment: Price-war pressure — reporting says China’s e-commerce price war is pressuring margins; even with potential state support, aggressive discounting in retail/food delivery remains a near-term earnings risk. China Is Stepping in to Help Alibaba Amid a Major Price War

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $166.37 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.46. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12 month low of $80.06 and a 12 month high of $192.67. The company has a market cap of $396.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $155.78 and its 200-day moving average is $146.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $195.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Freedom Capital downgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Arete Research set a $172.00 price objective on Alibaba Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.84.

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.