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☆ Jack Ma is praising Alibaba. Wall Street is more cautious
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alibaba shares got a boost last week from news founder Jack Ma is pleased with the company's turnaround so far. They cut their price target to $100 a share, down from $105 previously, while maintaining an overweight rating. Eddie Wu became CEO of Alibaba in September, and is also acting head of the cloud business. They cut their price target by $1 to $105 a share and maintained their buy rating. They have a price target of $85, and, in contrast to the many buy ratings, rate the stock equal weight.

Persons: Jack Ma, Joe Tsai, Ma, Alex Yao, Tsai, Nicolai Tangen, We've, Eddie Wu, Trudy Dai, Daniel Zhang, Kenneth Fong, Douyin, Nomura, Doubao, Ernie, Qianwen, monetization, Morgan Stanley, Gary Yu, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Arjun Kharpal Organizations: CNBC, Wall Street, JPMorgan, Norges Bank Investment, Alibaba, Commerce, UBS, PDD Holdings, Norges Bank Investment Management Locations: China, U.S, Taobao, BABA

☆ Alibaba dips on MS downgrade as PDD grabs spot of most valuable Chinese e-commerce firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Meanwhile, shares of PDD Holdings (PDD.O) have surged this week following stellar quarterly results from the Temu parent. The company closed with a market capitalization of nearly $196 billion on Thursday, surpassing Alibaba's market value of $190.45 billion. They also noted uncertainties from Alibaba's decision to scrap the spin-off of its cloud business. Morgan Stanley cut its price target on the stock to $90 from $110, the second lowest among analysts, as per LSEG data. PDD shares were down 2.1% at $144.4 but have surged almost 80% in 2023, handily outperforming its peers.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Morgan Stanley, PDD, Alibaba, Morgan Stanley's Eddy Wang, Sruthi Shankar, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, Alibaba, PDD Holdings, Wall, Vipshop Holdings, Thomson Locations: China, Alibaba's, Bengaluru

☆ Jack Ma halts plans to cut his Alibaba stake after shares in the Chinese e-commerce giant drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group in Shanghai China on Dec. 5th, 2017. Alibaba's regulatory filings last week revealed Ma is looking to sell 10 million shares at a value of around $870 million. Alibaba founder Jack Ma held off on plans to trim his stake in the Chinese e-commerce giant after the share price fell. However, the plans to sell shares were made in August and coincidentally were made public on Nov. 16, Jiang said. The Alibaba founder has dedicated his time to teaching and research in areas such as agricultural science.

Persons: Jack Ma, Ma, Jane Jiang, Jiang, Alibaba Organizations: Alibaba Group, CNBC, Alibaba's, Beijing Locations: Shanghai China, Alibaba's U.S

☆ Buy the dip in Alibaba? Here’s what the analysts say, after the stock tanked
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

While investors have largely reacted negatively to the news, which was announced alongside quarterly earnings Thursday, Wall Street's analysts are split. Although the Wall Street bank reiterated its overweight – or buy – rating on the stock, it lowered its price target to $110 from $125. "Cancellation of the Cloud spin-off came out of the blue, and puts paid to the last big 'initiative' supposed to improve shareholder returns. JPMorgan JPMorgan analysts noted the Alibaba's cloud business missing growth estimates and a modest decline at its core business will worry investors. While applauding the newly announced dividend, JPMorgan said it won't be enough to offset investor disappointment over the aborted cloud spinoff plan.

Persons: Wall, Morgan Stanley, Alibaba, BABA, Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley's, Gary Yu, Bernstein Bernstein, Bernstein, Jiong Shao Organizations: Barclays, Alibaba's, JPMorgan JPMorgan, JPMorgan

"Investors had hoped to receive separate shares of the cloud business in hopes the segment could achieve a higher multiple in the public markets due to its growth potential." The company then appointed Eddie Wu, one of Alibaba Group's co-founders and long-time lieutenant of former chief Jack Ma, as both CEO of Alibaba and the cloud business. Instead the group would focus on growing the cloud business and providing investment for its AI drivers, he said. [1/2]3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Alibaba International Digital Commerce, a business that includes platforms such as Lazada and AliExpress, however reported a 53% rise in revenues, with retail revenue up 73% year-on-year.

Persons: Cainiao, Thomas Hayes, Alibaba's, Daniel Zhang, Eddie Wu, Alibaba Group's, Jack Ma, Zhang, Joseph Tsai, Tsai, Wu, Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, Akash Sriram, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes, Arun Koyyur, Jane Merriman Organizations: Alibaba, HK, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba's, Investors, Analysts, Cloud Intelligence Group, REUTERS, Alibaba Group Holdings, PDD Holdings, Digital Commerce, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Hong Kong, Alibaba's U.S, Bengaluru, Shanghai

☆ China VCs have a big problem — and it’s not just a drop in U.S. investor appetite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Among China-focused investment firms, only four U.S. dollar-denominated venture capital funds established between 2015 and 2020 have at least returned investors all the money they put in. Alternative assets include venture capital, but not publicly traded stocks and bonds. Preqin doesn't track every single China VC fund, and only included those with data as of the end of last year or more recently. In the world of early-stage investing, "limited partners" (typically institutions) give money to "general partners" (venture capital funds) to invest into startups. The outperforming funds were: Loyal Valley Capital Advantage Fund I, Hillhouse Fund II, Oceanpine USD Fund I and HighLight Capital USD Fund II.

Persons: Preqin, —, Reuben Lai, “, Reuben Lai Preqin, they'd, Alex Shum, Preqin's Lai, there's, Lai, Jinjian Zhang, Vitalbridge, Zhang Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, ., China VC, CNBC, Fengshion, Investment Fund, LYFE Capital, GGV, BioTrack, U.S, Capital, II, Sequoia, Sequoia Capital China Growth Fund, TPG NewQuest Locations: Shenzhen, China, BEIJING, That's, Preqin, Greater China, Beijing, IPOs, Vitalbridge, Shanghai

Goldman Sachs is bullish on e-commerce in China, naming it as one of its "most preferred" areas within China's internet sector. Top picks The analysts named Chinese e-commerce shares among the bank's top buy-rated stocks, two of which are on Goldman's conviction buy list of assets it expects will outperform the market. Goldman gave a target price of $138 for Alibaba's U.S.-listed shares, and 134 Hong Kong dollars ($17.09) for its Hong Kong-listed shares. Goldman Sachs gave Pinduoduo a target price of $129, following expectations of a sizeable profit in the longer term. The bank gave Tencent a target price of 431 Hong Kong dollars, accounting for a potential upside of around 32%.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, —, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Alibaba's U.S, Hong, Baidu Locations: China, Hong Kong

HONG KONG, July 10 (Reuters) - Alibaba Group (9988.HK) and Tencent (0700.HK) shares rose in Hong Kong on Monday after China's $984 million fine against the Jack Ma-founded Ant Group appeared to signal the end of a regulatory crackdown on the country's technology sector. Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares were up nearly 4% by 0230 GMT on Monday, outpacing a 1.3% gain for the broader market (.HSI), while Tencent's shares were up 1%. ANT GROUP VALUATION SLASHEDAlibaba, which spun off Ant 11 years ago and has a 33% stake, said on Sunday it was considering whether to participate in the buyback. Alibaba's U.S.-listed shares rose 8% on Friday after the penalty, one of the largest-ever fines for an internet company in China, was delivered. ($1 = 7.2310 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jack Ma, Ant, Dickie Wong, Oshadhi Kumarasiri, Scott Murdoch, Donny Kwok, Anne Marie Roantree, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jamie Freed Organizations: Alibaba, HK, Ant, People's Bank of China, Kingston Securities, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Beijing, Alibaba's U.S, China, Sydney

☆ Bernstein downgrades Alibaba on concerns of 'perpetual low growth'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Alibaba's low growth may be a longer-term headwind than previously thought, according to Bernstein. The firm downgraded Alibaba stock to market perform from outperform on Tuesday. "We upgraded Alibaba a year ago on the basis that the stock had discounted perpetual low growth, and that reopening would help support growth via better category mix. Alibaba's shares have traded in a range since — but while they remain cheaply valued, perpetual low growth no longer feels like an aggressive bear case," analyst Robin Zhu said. Zhu added that Alibaba is also contending with more issues beyond low user engagement and pointed toward higher search costs stemming from merchant crowding which is hitting merchant return on investment.

Persons: Bernstein, Robin Zhu, Zhu, BABA, Michael Bloom

☆ Alibaba misses revenue estimate, approves cloud unit spinoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We would love nothing more than to see one of these little Alibabas...becoming another big Alibaba, as big as the group company is right now," said Alibaba Group chairman Daniel Zhang on an earnings call. Alibaba logged revenue of 208.20 billion yuan ($30.12 billion) for the three months ended in March, compared with a Refinitiv consensus estimate of 210.3 billion yuan. Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was 23.52 billion yuan for the quarter, reversing a year earlier loss of 16.24 billion yuan. Revenue for Alibaba's cloud division in the recent quarter was 18.6 billion yuan, down 2% year-on-year. The company has opened up registration to test the technology to enterprise customers of Alibaba Cloud.

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) has moved to sell almost all of its remaining shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK), , the Financial Times reported, sending the Chinese e-commerce major's stock tumbling. Alibaba, one of the most valuable assets in SoftBank's portfolio, tumbled as much as 5.2% in Hong Kong after the report before paring the loss to 2.8%. SoftBank has been seeking ways to monetise its stake in Alibaba, which the Japanese conglomerate bought into more than two decades ago with just $20 million spending. On Wednesday, the FT said forward sales based on filings at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed SoftBank's Alibaba stake would eventually fall to 3.8% from almost 15%. The Japanese group, led by billionaire founder Masayoshi Son, has sold about $7.2 billion worth of Alibaba shares this year through prepaid forward contracts, the newspaper said.

With that out of the way, Zhang is cleared to focus on Alibaba's massive corporate overhaul unveiled last month. Current shareholders will be left with a holding company led by Zhang, plus Alibaba's cash-cow Chinese commerce business. After all, Alibaba's U.S. shares are down over 60% in the past two years, while the S&P 500 has stayed largely flat. The sales will eventually reduce SoftBank's stake in Alibaba to 3.8%. In 2022, SoftBank booked a gain of $34 billion by cutting its stake in Alibaba to 14.6% from 23.7%.

☆ Morning Bid: Alibaba fires up market mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An unprecedented revamp of Chinese tech conglomerate Alibaba Group, which analysts believe to have the blessings of local regulators, pushed up Alibaba's U.S.-listed stock, and then its Hong Kong shares on Wednesday. Companies in China's internet, private education and property sectors have lost billions of dollars in market value in recent years as the country's regulators cracked down on their operations. Reuters GraphicsAlthough a lacklustre 0.6% rise in Asia's main stock market gauge, led by Hong Kong tech names, shows that animal spirits haven't returned yet, there's hope for investors who have been left licking their wounds from recent market declines, especially in bank and tech stocks. Global investor confidence remains fragile, with the European Central Bank (ECB) saying that recent volatility highlights the need for greater regulatory scrutiny. Overnight, a survey showed that U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly increased in March despite recent financial market turmoil, but Americans still expect inflation to remain elevated over the next year.

Wall Street posted solid gains on Wednesday as volatility slumped to its lowest since the U.S. banking tremors were first felt three weeks ago. While bond yields inched up, bond market volatility also fell and fixed income markets were pretty calm. The rate-sensitive Nasdaq jumped 1.8% for its best day in two weeks, boosted by positive tech company outlooks. The MSCI World financials index is now up three days in a row and the U.S. regional banking index has risen for four straight days, neither of which have been recorded since January. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Alibaba to split into six units
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 28 (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) said it plans split its business into six main units covering e-commerce, media and the cloud, adding that each of the units will explore fundraising or initial public offerings. STUART COLE, HEAD MACRO ECONOMIST AT EQUITI CAPITAL, LONDON"I am not sure how quickly Alibaba could be broken up. To me, it suggests something that Alibaba has been wanting to do for some time, but has been waiting for the opportunity to do so." With this expectation, investors will be more positive on Alibaba. It may reflect a new round of development for the business and reduce worries of regulatory issues."

☆ China tightens media control with tiny stakes in two Alibaba units
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesBEIJING — State-backed entities have taken tiny stakes in parts of two Alibaba subsidiaries that oversee a video platform and web browser. The state-backed stakes reflect a progression of government directives over the last decade to increase control of media in China. "So far most of the stakes announced (including in other Chinese companies) seem to be highly concentrated on media companies and media subsidiaries." watch nowSince 2020, business records show state-backed entities have taken 1% stakes in popular social media or short-video apps Weibo , ByteDance's Douyin and Kuaishou . A provincial state media group completed a 1% investment in September, leaving Alibaba's media arm with 99% ownership.

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