Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Up 5.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price rose 5.2% on Thursday after Arete Research upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. Arete Research now has a $190.00 price target on the stock. Alibaba Group traded as high as $181.10 and last traded at $177.46. Approximately 31,641,329 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 81% from the average daily volume of 17,475,699 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.67.

BABA has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho set a $195.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $153.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.72.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arete Research upgraded BABA from Neutral to Buy and set a $190 price target; the upgrade triggered an intraday rally as investors responded to improved analyst conviction. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Alibaba is preparing to restructure and list its AI chip arm, T‑Head, have driven optimism that a spinoff/IPO could unlock value and position the company in the hot AI‑accelerator market — multiple outlets cite people familiar with the plan. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is tilted favorable: a consensus “Moderate Buy” from brokerages reinforces the bullish analyst tone and supports investor interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple news outlets reported the T‑Head IPO story and intraday share pops/pre‑market rallies; these are market‑reaction pieces rather than official filings — the long‑term impact depends on deal structure, timing and regulatory filings. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BABA. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 19,097 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,799,000 after buying an additional 3,186 shares in the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $261,000. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 4,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 4,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 70,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,304,000 after purchasing an additional 15,751 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Down 2.2%

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 firm has a market capitalization of $413.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $156.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.73.

About Alibaba Group

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.