Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Raised to “Buy” at Arete Research

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Arete Research from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $190.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Arete Research’s target price suggests a potential upside of 7.07% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on BABA. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alibaba Group from $153.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Freedom Capital lowered Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Mizuho set a $195.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, CLSA raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $155.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.72.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $177.46 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $84.96 and a 1 year high of $192.67. The company has a market capitalization of $423.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.37.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 26.4% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC now owns 3,023 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 34.4% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 1.0% in the third quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

More Alibaba Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba is preparing an IPO for its AI chipmaking arm, T-Head, restructuring it into a standalone unit (with partial employee ownership) before a potential listing — a move investors view as value-unlocking and timely given strong demand for AI chip plays. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Alibaba formed or plans a JV with state-owned CNNC to secure nuclear power for its AI/data center operations — this addresses the energy needs and cost/availability risks of large-scale AI workloads. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is turning more bullish: Arete Research upgraded BABA to a “buy” with a $190 target, reinforcing the positive narrative around growth and AI investments. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Chinese tech peers are aggressively building AI-powered “agentic commerce” super‑apps — a structural trend that benefits Alibaba but also intensifies competition. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Details on the planned T-Head spinout include internal restructuring and employee ownership plans ahead of any IPO — positive for alignment but adds execution and timing risk. Read More.

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.