Why Alibaba (BABA) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

Alibaba (BABA) closed the most recent trading day at $182.78, moving +2.27% from the previous trading session. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.34%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.09%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.42%. Shares of the online retailer witnessed a gain of 29% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Retail-Wholesale sector with its gain of 0.41%, and the S&P 500's gain of 3.54%.Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Alibaba in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.03, down 52.09% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $34.09 billion, indicating a 1.14% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $7.72 per share and a revenue of $144.19 billion, demonstrating changes of -14.32% and +4.38%, respectively, from the preceding year. Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Alibaba should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 10.08% downward. As of now, Alibaba holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Digging into valuation, Alibaba currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 23.14. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 21.2 of its industry. We can also see that BABA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.88. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The average PEG ratio for the Internet - Commerce industry stood at 1.47 at the close of the market yesterday. The Internet - Commerce industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 47, placing it within the top 20% of over 250 industries. The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions. Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. Little-known AI firms tackling the world's biggest problems may be more lucrative in the coming months and years.See "2nd Wave" AI stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks