SoftBank may sell Alibaba stock to fund buyback

Tokyo: The slump in SoftBank Group Corp’s shares could prompt Masayoshi Son to play an ace card – cashing in part of his stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Son is likely to sell Alibaba stock to help pay for another buyback in an attempt to bolster SoftBank shares, according to Jefferies Group analyst Atul Goyal. It’s a surprise the Japanese technology giant’s shares are “languishing” despite its large stake in Alibaba, Goyal wrote in a note. The shares have become “decoupled”, and SoftBank is seeing little upside from its holding, he said.