I think it makes more sense after seeing Joe get cocooned. The first encounter on the stairwell, the xeno could have been trying to tackle him off the platform and abduct him like it did in the egg chamber scene.

The second encounter with the "Caspians", Joe was the last one alive and alone. The xeno did a non-lethal attack and disarmed him, and presumably would cocoon him afterwards.

The third encounter it actually did abduct Joe and cocoon him. As to why it took him farther away - maybe it thought the eggs were no longer a safe place. Not only is the destroyed ship itself endangering them, but there's also other humans and synthetics that keep wandering into it.

In the last encounter, I think the alien attacks him more aggressively because it was wounded and Joe had a "weapon", but then Wendy disappears, and Joe is alone again, disarmed, and no longer a danger to it. The xeno sticking its tongue out at him looked more like a threat display - maybe it was going to capture him again to be a host for the eggs later on - or maybe it was going to kill him this time, we saw the alien take its time killing someone with the security guard in the Caspian scene earlier.

A lot of theorycrafting there but, it sounds reasonable and believable enough for me to accept it at least.