Brandes Investment Partners LP Sells 17,993 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Brandes Investment Partners LP reduced its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 639,228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 17,993 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $93,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $881,554,000 after purchasing an additional 5,936,847 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Alibaba Group by 1,074.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,038,318 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,079,229,000 after purchasing an additional 5,524,354 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $594,477,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $290,208,000. Finally, Trivest Advisors Ltd bought a new position in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $202,126,000. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $119.68 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $287.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $130.68 and its 200 day moving average is $144.70. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $103.71 and a twelve month high of $192.67.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 72.0%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BABA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Nomura upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Mizuho upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Alibaba Group

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

• Negative Sentiment: The Pentagon added Alibaba to its Chinese military-linked list, raising geopolitical risk and potentially restricting access to U.S. defense contracts. Pentagon Adds Alibaba, Baidu, BYD and Nio to Chinese Military-Linked List
• Negative Sentiment: Investor focus remains on Alibaba’s aggressive AI spending, which some reports say is a larger drag on the stock than the Pentagon action. Alibaba Stock Has Bigger Problems Than the Pentagon’s China List
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba rejected the military-company label and said it sees no business impact from the designation. Alibaba Rejects U.S. Military Company Label, Sees No Business Impact
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba continues to build out its AI business, including a new Token Foundry unit that could support longer-term growth. Alibaba CEO Takes Direct Control of New AI Business Unit

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.