Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Rating Upgraded by BNP Paribas Exane

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

BABA has been the topic of several other reports. DZ Bank downgraded Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, March 20th. Freedom Capital raised Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Loop Capital set a $140.00 target price on Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, March 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.75.

Alibaba Group Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of BABA opened at $131.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $315.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.90, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.50. Alibaba Group has a 12 month low of $103.71 and a 12 month high of $192.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $133.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 EPS 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NTV Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 127.4% during the 3rd quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 15,143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 8,484 shares in the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,565,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 30,361 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,427,000 after purchasing an additional 3,929 shares in the last quarter. Great Hill Capital LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,207,000. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,966,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

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

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.