WCM Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 347.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 249,736 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 193,947 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $30,463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the first quarter worth $254,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Alibaba Group by 313.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,778 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,470,000 after buying an additional 16,505 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group during the second quarter valued at $1,613,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 51.9% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 70,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,946,000 after buying an additional 23,925 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE:BABA opened at $115.04 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $116.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.51. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $91.99 and a fifty-two week high of $192.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. The business had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

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

Alibaba Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: China approved Apple Intelligence for use on iPhones and other Apple devices in the country, with Alibaba’s Qwen model as a key partner. That strengthens Alibaba’s position in AI and could create a meaningful catalyst for growth. Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Alibaba favorably overall, with reports noting an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation. Alibaba Group Holding Limited Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary around China’s push for broader, lower-cost AI and new model launches such as Kimi K3 is reinforcing interest in the Chinese AI sector, which can spill over positively to Alibaba as a leading domestic AI name. What Is Kimi K3? The Chinese AI Model That Has Wall Street Talking
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2028 earnings estimate slightly for Alibaba and also nudged down FY2027 estimates, reflecting a more cautious near-term outlook rather than a major deterioration. Erste Group Bank lowered Alibaba earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba’s online travel unit reportedly cut jobs as business conditions remain weak, pointing to internal cost pressure and uneven performance in parts of the company. Alibaba’s Online Travel Arm Slashes Jobs as Business Struggles
• Negative Sentiment: Separate law firms have announced investor investigations into Alibaba, adding legal overhang and uncertainty that can weigh on the shares. Alibaba Investor News from Rosen Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Another legal investigation was announced by Pomerantz LLP, reinforcing concerns about potential securities claims and headline risk for BABA. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Alibaba Group Holding Limited – BABA

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Nomura decreased their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Alibaba Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Alibaba Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.90.

Insider Transactions at Alibaba Group

In other Alibaba Group news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total transaction of $68,364,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 28,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,658,600. The trade was a 96.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Fang Jiang sold 4,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total value of $59,216.82. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,559,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,214,487.99. This trade represents a 0.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370 in the last three months. 12.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.