Haitong International Begins Coverage of BABA-W (09988.HK) with an Outperform Rating and $200 Price Target
Research Coverage Initiation: Haitong International has initiated coverage on Alibaba (BABA-W) with an Outperform rating, highlighting its position as a leading global technology and commerce platform across various sectors.
Strategic Realignment: Alibaba is streamlining its organizational structure to focus on four main categories: China E-commerce, International Digital Commerce, Cloud Intelligence, and Others, with expected revenue growth easing from 2024 but potentially reaccelerating in 2025.
Target Price and Market Outlook: The broker set a target price of HKD200 for Alibaba's shares, expressing optimism about the company's entry into an AI-led recovery phase, despite anticipated profitability challenges in 2026.
Profitability Projections: Haitong International forecasts that Alibaba's margins will recover from the second half of 2026, returning to normal levels of approximately 17% NPM and 17% EBITA margin by 2027.
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Southbound Trading Inflows and Outflows: CNOOC saw a significant net inflow of HKD1 billion, while Tencent experienced a notable outflow of HKD2.4 billion, indicating contrasting investor sentiment towards these stocks.
Short Selling Activity: Tencent had the highest short selling amount at $4.95 billion with a ratio of 20.891%, while Xiaomi also faced substantial short selling at $1.19 billion and a ratio of 35.575%.
Most Active Stocks: In the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, Xiaomi was the most active stock with a net inflow of HKD402.9 million, while Tencent led in outflows. In the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, CNOOC had the highest inflow of HKD1.2 billion, with Tencent again showing the highest outflow.
Overall Trading Summary: The total Southbound Trading net outflow was HKD0, accounting for 45.59% of the total transaction amount of HKD116.03 billion, reflecting a balanced trading environment despite individual stock fluctuations.

Short Selling Turnover: The short selling turnover in the Hong Kong market reached $37.6 billion, accounting for 21.6% of the eligible securities turnover, an increase from 18.3% on the previous trading day.
Top Short Selling Stocks: The top five stocks with the highest short selling amounts include TENCENT, BABA-W, XIAOMI-W, MEITUAN-W, and HSCEI ETF, with short selling ratios ranging from 18.2% to 50.9%.
TENCENT Performance: TENCENT had a short selling turnover of $4.95 billion, with a short selling ratio of 20.9%.
MEITUAN-W Performance: MEITUAN-W exhibited the highest short selling ratio at 50.9%, with a turnover of $1.19 billion.
Business Strengthening: JD-SW is enhancing its business resilience through growth in the department store and logistics sectors, alongside a proposed acquisition of Germany's Ceconomy AG.
Earnings Challenges: Despite improvements, substantial losses from new ventures like food delivery are expected to limit JD-SW's earnings growth, with an estimated EBITDA margin recovery to 2.8% by 2026.
Competitive Landscape: The end of JD-SW's zero-commission merchant promotion in 2025 raises concerns about merchant retention, while competition from MEITUAN-W and BABA-W remains intense.
Short Selling Data: As of March 11, 2026, JD-SW has a short selling amount of $348.17M with a ratio of 55.943%, indicating significant market skepticism.

Short Selling Turnover: The short selling turnover in the Hong Kong market reached $20.4 billion at midday, accounting for 21.4% of the eligible securities turnover, an increase from 18.3% on the previous trading day.
Top Short Selling Stocks: The top five stocks with the highest short selling amounts include TENCENT, BABA-W, XIAOMI-W, MEITUAN-W, and HSCEI ETF, with short selling ratios ranging from 22.1% to 59.7%.
TENCENT Performance: TENCENT had a short selling turnover of $3.76 billion, with a short selling ratio of 23.8%.
MEITUAN-W Performance: MEITUAN-W exhibited the highest short selling ratio at 59.7%, with a turnover of $721 million.

Tencent's AI Development: Tencent is secretly developing an AI agent for its WeChat application, a project that has been a priority since at least the first half of last year.
Testing and Launch Plans: The company plans to begin grey-box testing in mid-2023, with a potential full launch in the third quarter, depending on the maturity of the AI functionality.
Integration with WeChat Services: The AI agent will integrate with millions of mini-programs on WeChat, enabling its 1.4 billion monthly active users to autonomously complete various tasks like ride-hailing and food delivery.
Competitive Landscape: This initiative aims to expand AI application scenarios in China and directly compete with established players like Alibaba and ByteDance in the AI field.
Southbound Trading Inflows: TENCENT (00700.HK) saw significant Southbound Trading net inflows of HKD3.6 billion, while BABA-W (09988.HK) and YOFC (06869.HK) also experienced notable increases in their stock prices.
Southbound Trading Outflows: The TRACKER FUND (02800.HK) faced substantial net outflows totaling HKD13.6 billion, with HSCEI ETF (02828.HK) and CSOP HS TECH (03033.HK) also showing significant short selling activity.
Market Activity: TENCENT was the most active stock in both Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, with the highest net inflow, while the TRACKER FUND recorded the highest net outflow in both markets.
Overall Trading Summary: At market close, Southbound Trading net outflow was zero, accounting for 45.88% of the total transaction amount of HKD151.83 billion.








