11,000 Shares in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA Acquired by Potomac Capital Management Inc.

Potomac Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 11,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,612,000. Alibaba Group accounts for about 1.3% of Potomac Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,505,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $953,527,000 after buying an additional 466,847 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% in the fourth 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. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,335,894 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $782,135,000 after purchasing an additional 42,297 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $594,477,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Alibaba Group by 17.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,987,539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $533,964,000 after purchasing an additional 448,484 shares during the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $119.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $287.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.70. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 12-month low of $103.71 and a 12-month high of $192.67.

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

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 72.0%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BABA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Nomura increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.76.

Alibaba Group News Summary

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.