---
title: "Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 1.7% Higher   - Time to Buy?"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283200916.md"
description: "Alibaba Group's share price rose 1.7% to $140.91, with trading volume increasing by 6%. Positive sentiment surrounds the company's AI and robotics initiatives, while regulatory fines and insider sales present challenges. Analysts have mixed views, with some lowering ratings and price targets, but the consensus remains a \"Moderate Buy\" with an average target price of $187.68. The company reported a net margin of 9.12% and revenue of $40.71 billion last quarter, with expectations of 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year."
datetime: "2026-04-17T22:42:18.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283200916.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283200916.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283200916.md)
---

# Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading 1.7% Higher   - Time to Buy?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $143.78 and last traded at $140.9050. 12,838,500 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 6% from the average session volume of 12,078,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.59.

Get **Alibaba Group** alerts:

## Alibaba Group News Roundup

-   These 3 ETFs Are Suitable for Ultra-Bearish Investors

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

-   Positive Sentiment: Major AI and developer product launches bolster Alibaba’s cloud/AI monetization story — company rolled out the Happy Oyster AI world model and other generative-AI offerings (Qwen3.6-Plus, a no-code app builder) that position Alibaba to capture higher-value cloud and AI services revenue. MarketWatch: Alibaba Group Launches Happy Oyster AI World Model Yahoo: Can Alibaba Turn New AI Tools Into a Durable Cloud Monetization Engine?
-   Positive Sentiment: Product diversification — Alibaba unveiled its first physical robot and expanded into robotics/3D video AI, signaling new hardware and enterprise use cases that could widen TAM beyond e‑commerce. Barchart: As Alibaba Enters the Robot Race...
-   Positive Sentiment: Market positioning and flows — unusually large call‑option buying and reports of some institutional accumulation/support (several firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and price targets well above current trading) point to bullish positioning around AI and cloud narratives. (Options activity reported 4/16; analyst targets referenced in filings.)
-   Neutral Sentiment: Lobbying disclosure — Alibaba reported $80,000 in Q1 lobbying related to counterfeit goods, consumer safety, and e‑commerce rules, a routine regulatory engagement that signals active government relations but not immediate financial impact. Quiver Quantitative: Lobbying Update
-   Negative Sentiment: Regulatory fine — Chinese regulators imposed a record set of fines totaling 3.6 billion yuan (~$528M) across several platforms including Alibaba for unlicensed merchants and weak verification controls; this is a direct regulatory headwind and increases near‑term compliance costs and oversight risk. Yahoo Finance: China Imposes $528 Million Penalty
-   Negative Sentiment: Insider sales and big institutional repositioning — recent insider sales and disclosures show executives have sold shares while some large funds reduced positions substantially; these actions can weigh on sentiment even if other institutions added shares. Quiver Quantitative: Insider & Institutional Activity

## Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Alibaba Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.68.

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**Read Our Latest Stock Report on BABA**

## Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average price is $137.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.51. The stock has a market cap of $336.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33.

-   Why Alibaba's New 5nm Chip Could Be a Game Changer

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The specialty retailer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $40.71 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

## Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC now owns 3,023 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 34.4% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,407,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.47% of the company's stock.

## Alibaba Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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_This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com._

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