Alibaba (BABA) Stock Forecast July 2026: Four Catalysts Drove 12% in Two Days; Is the $160 Target Achievable?

The first catalyst was the U.S. Department of Justice settlement. Earlier this month, Alibaba and its U.S. payment processing subsidiary came to a non-prosecution deal with DOJ over historical violations involving the sale of banned pharmaceutical products. The settlement calls for Alibaba to pay $325 million in forfeiture and penalties for a total of $600 million. Getting that big item off the table removes a major source of uncertainty that has been holding back shares.

The second catalyst involved a U.S. District Court decision, which allowed a ban from the Pentagon, which has been associated with Alibaba since its IPO in 2014, to be lifted on a temporary basis. This means that Alibaba can continue U.S. lobbying efforts even as the law is still under review and may be subject to constitutional challenges.

These legal updates address a pair of significant issues weighing on shares that have been held down, and that may contribute to some degree the valuation discount that has persisted, at least relative to other leading Chinese names. The stock bottoms near $94.81 on June 26, before rebounding sharply with renewed confidence.

The third catalyst was a comment at the pre-earnings call indicating that the instant-commerce business saw losses shrink significantly in the June quarter. This is significant for investors, since after fiscal Q4 2026 the stock tumbled after the quarter’s earnings report showed adjusted EBITA down 84% year over year to $740 million as instant-commerce investment accelerated. Confirmation that the underlying losses of that business are tapering off would be another profitable sign as we move toward earnings on Aug. 28.

The fourth catalyst was that reports circulated last week that Beijing approved some of the H200 Nvidia GPU chips to major Chinese tech firms, including Alibaba. H200 is a more advanced product than the H20, the chip which was the only Nvidia chips that could be sold to Chinese companies under export controls. That would give Cloud access to more potent chips for more sophisticated AI training.

Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group posted 38% year-over-year revenue growth in its last quarter and had AI products contribute 30% of external cloud sales, and this is the 11th quarter running of triple-digit AI product revenue growth. The company’s model-as-a-service offering now accounts for a meaningful share of growth. Meanwhile, CEO Eddie Wu has said that his full-stack AI investment strategy will remain his top area of capital allocation going forward.

In its June quarter, fiscal Q1 FY2027, consensus calls for around a 45% growth rate for cloud revenue if realized will set a new record for Alibaba Cloud, and also a 29% year over year increase in EPS at $2.44. BABA has topped EPS estimates in three of the past four quarters.

Morgan Stanley, Citi, Daiwa, and HSBC cut their targets for BABA in early July because of elevated spending for AI infrastructure dampening near-term earnings expectations, along with persistent weakness in Chinese consumer spending. However, each broker was still rated buy, and their price targets ranged from $170 to $192. Consensus sits at $190.83, which implies roughly 72% gain from current levels.

In technical terms, the Fibonacci structure is constructive to the bullish side. The key price of the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement is at $134.16. A confirmed close above $132.70 is positive for the bullish case, with the next target being the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement at $145.65 before the 0 at $160.25.

One issue to watch is the allegation made by Anthropic in the June 2026 late-June letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee that it has learned that operators linked to Alibaba used about 25,000 fake accounts to steal capabilities from its Claude models. Alibaba has denied the claims. There’s no indication yet that the allegations have been verified by anyone else or that regulators have done anything, but it remains to be seen whether there are any further developments as Aug. 28 earnings approach.

The daily chart sees BABA rebound from the 0.5 Fib level ($113.06), holding the descending trendline at RSI 53.92. With RSI in neutral-bullish territory, there are no signs of bearish divergence. The market structure suggests potential for upside to the $132 to $146 level, with the 0.382 Fib ($134.16) being the first resistance level.

Alibaba (BABA) Stock Price Chart - Source: Tradingview

If we see a close above $132.70, it would solidify the bullish pattern. Upside Target = $160.30 at 0 Fibo. A close below $101.80 will invalidate the bullish setup.

• Entry Trigger: Close above $132.70 (Break the 0.382 Fibo)
• Target: $160.30 (0 Fibo)
• Stop Loss: Close below $101.80
• Key Resistance Levels: $134.16 (0.382 Fib) and $145.65 (0.236 Fib)

August 28 Q1 FY2027 earnings:

Consensus EPS $2.44 (+29% YoY) Expected cloud revenue growth is around 45%

Analyst Targets:

Average Target $190.83 (Buy). Morgan Stanley $180, Citi $192, HSBC $170 and Daiwa $175

Last week saw 4 major catalysts for the rally. Alibaba inked a $600 million DOJ settlement regarding the historical sale of illegal pharma products. US district courts granted Alibaba a temporary stay from a Pentagons bill, thereby enabling the company to keep doing business lobbying in the United States. The company provided a preview of the earnings where the losses from the instant commerce business decreased during the quarter ended in June, after 84% drop in adjusted EBITA in the fiscal Q4 2026. Alibaba cloud also got to benefit from access to Nvidia H200 AI chips, as the report states that Beijing approved access of Nvidia chips H200 to Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba Cloud. The H200 is a high-end chip that is superior to H20s, currently available for export, to foreign markets.

The focus will be on the Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group revenue growth, where expectations of approximately 45% growth are there. The key point to note is the trend in losses from instant commerce. The consensus estimate is for earnings per share of $2.44 in Q1 FY2027. If Alibaba’s cloud growth meets or beats expectations and management reaffirms improving unit economics of instant commerce, then the results will provide more evidence on how AI spend is paying off.

Analysts Morgan Stanley ($180), Citi ($192), Daiwa ($175), and HSBC ($170) lowered their price targets for Alibaba shares on the early July, but the recommendations on Alibaba remained Buy. Analysts say heavy AI investments and lacklustre China consumption will impact near-term earnings. The AI Cloud remains attractive from long-term investment point of view. Revenue of cloud is growing 38% to 45%, and the AI products contribute to 30% of cloud revenue coming from external customers. Even at current price of $111, the revised price targets imply 53% to 73% upside.

Alibaba shares closed the week at $111 to $113 after 2 days rally of 12% as the major drivers were $600 million DOJ settlement, temporary stay from Pentagon legislation, reduced losses from instant commerce, and reports on approved H200 Nvidia chips for China AI companies. The stock rebounded from 0.5 Fib ($113.06). A confirmed close above $132.70 would strengthen the bullish outlook, with $160.30 as the next major upside target. A close below $101.80 would invalidate the setup. The next major catalyst is August 28 earnings, where cloud revenue growth and profitability trends will be closely watched. The average analyst price target of $190.83 implies roughly 72% upside from current levels.