Alibaba (BABA) Stock Downgraded to Hold After Strong AI-Driven Rally

Core Viewpoint - Alibaba Group Holding Limited has been downgraded from Buy to Hold by US Tiger Securities, with a new price target of $180, reflecting the belief that much of the stock's recent upside is already priced in [1][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance and Market Sentiment - Alibaba's stock has experienced a significant rally, with shares up more than 100% year-to-date and over 40% in the past month, driven by renewed investor optimism regarding its AI and cloud pivot [2][3]. - The stock gained more than 8% intraday following multiple positive developments, including the unveiling of Qwen3-Max, a large language model with over 1 trillion parameters, and plans to increase AI spending beyond the initial commitment of 380 billion yuan (approximately USD 53 billion) [3][4]. Group 2: Strategic Developments - The company has formed a new strategic collaboration with Nvidia to integrate AI tools and support robotics development, which has been positively received by the market [3]. - Despite the promising push into AI and cloud, the firm believes it is prudent to wait for a more favorable entry point due to the stock's significant price increase [4][5]. Group 3: Long-term Outlook - The long-term value in Alibaba's strategic shift toward AI and cloud is recognized, with potential for durable growth and margin expansion, but the near-term risk/reward profile is considered less attractive [5].