Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) shares rose 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $132.64 and last traded at $131.9660. Approximately 7,367,968 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 11,662,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.43.

Alibaba Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas initiated coverage with an “Outperform” rating and a $209 price target — a bullish Wall Street endorsement that can support investor interest and the stock’s upside narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strong early traction for Alibaba’s enterprise AI products: Accio Work says it now powers ~230,000 online stores — evidence of rapid monetization potential from AI services beyond core e?commerce. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba launched the HappyHorse AI video model with early developer access via fal — expands Alibaba’s generative AI footprint and could create new platform and cloud revenue streams. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approvals and REIT plans for infrastructure/cainiao assets (Hong Kong and Shenzhen go?ahead reported) signal potential value unlocking via asset spin?offs and a clearer capital allocation path. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Time and industry lists (Time100 profile; inclusion on Time’s AI A?list) boost brand and tech credibility, supporting long?term sentiment around Alibaba’s AI/cloud positioning. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba set a May 13 earnings / FY2026 results release — a near?term catalyst that could move shares depending on revenue, cloud margins, and AI monetization commentary. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are debating valuation after recent share weakness — useful for investors weighing risk/reward but not immediate drivers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (FY26 to $4.16, FY27 to $6.37) and kept a “Hold” rating — analyst downgrades may pressure sentiment and lower near?term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Some institutional portfolio reshuffling has led to Alibaba being trimmed in certain funds, which can create selling pressure even as the company shifts strategy. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and articles note domestic e?commerce growth remains less attractive — this structural weakness could limit upside from China retail operations even as cloud/AI improve. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BABA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $225.00 to $212.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Barclays cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.75.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.2%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $133.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.49. The company has a market capitalization of $315.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $40.71 billion for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 9.12%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 101.4% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its position in Alibaba Group by 95.2% during the first quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 205 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, NBT Bank N A NY raised its position in Alibaba Group by 231.5% during the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 179 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.