Alibaba Group Holding Limited: Strong Buy
Alibaba Group Holding Limited: Strong Buy
GICS Sector Information Technology                                                    Summary This company is a leading provider of e-commerce services and is based in and focused on
Sub-Industry Internet Software & Services                                             China. It completed the largest IPO in history in September 2014.
 Key Stock Statistics (Source: CFRA, S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI), Company Reports)
52-Wk Range          $211.70 - 164.25                   Oper. EPS 2019E                              5.69       Market Capitalization(B)                   $464.6       Beta                                           2.49
Trailing 12-Month EPS           22.15                   Oper. EPS 2020E                              7.81       Yield (%)                                     NA        3-Yr Proj. EPS CAGR(%)                           32
Trailing 12-Month P/E            7.87                   P/E on Oper. EPS 2019E                      30.62       Dividend Rate/Share                           NA        SPGMI's Quality Ranking                          NR
$10K Invested 5 Yrs Ago            NA                   Common Shares Outstg.(M)                  2,571.9       Institutional Ownership (%)                   65
Price Performance                                                                                                                                   Analyst's Risk Assessment
        30-Week Mov. Avg.          10-Week Mov. Avg.              GAAP Earnings vs. Previous Year    Volume Above Avg.         STARS                         LOW                    MEDIUM                      HIGH
        12-Mo. Target Price                                           Up     Down      No Change             Below Avg.
                                                                                                                                                   Our risk assessment reflects our view of considerable
                                                                                                                                                   oversight by the Chinese government, notable
                                                                                                                                                   competitors, and a dynamic market for e-commerce and
                                                                                                                                                   other digital offerings. We also have some concerns
                                                                                                                                                   related to corporate governance.
                                                                                                                                                    Revenue/Earnings Data
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA. This document is not intended to provide personal investment advice and it does not take into account the specific investment
objectives, financial situation and the particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. Investors should seek independent financial advice regarding the suitability and/or appropriateness of making an
investment or implementing the investment strategies discussed in this document and should understand that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. Investors should note that income from such
investments, if any, may fluctuate and that the value of such investments may rise or fall. Accordingly, investors may receive back less than they originally invested. Investors should seek advice concerning any impact this
investment may have on their personal tax position from their own tax advisor. Please note the publication date of this document. It may contain specific information that is no longer current and should not be used to make an
investment decision. Unless otherwise indicated, there is no intention to update this document.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Business Summary August 14, 2018                                                                                Corporate Information
COMPANY OVERVIEW. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA) is the largest online and mobile commerce                   Investor Contact
company in the world, in terms of gross merchandise volume in 2017. BABA operates its marketplaces as a
                                                                                                                Office
platform for third parties, and does not engage in direct sales, compete with partner merchants or hold
                                                                                                                969 West Wen Yi Road, Yu Hang District, Hangzhou,
inventory.
                                                                                                                Zhejiang Province 311121
BABA operates Taobao Marketplace, China's largest online shopping destination; Tmall, China's largest
third-party platform for brands and retailers (in terms of gross merchandise volume); and Juhuasuan,            Website
China's most popular group buying marketplace by monthly active users. These three marketplaces, which          www.alibabagroup.com
comprise BABA's China retail marketplaces, generated a combined GMV (gross merchandise value) of
$768 billion in FY 18 (Mar.). There were 552 million annual active buyers using these marketplaces as of        Officers
March 2018 and 617 million mobile active users.                                                                 CEO & Director             President & Director
BABA also operates Alibaba.com, China's largest global wholesale marketplace; 1688.com, a China                 Y. Zhang                   J. M. Evans
wholesale marketplace; and AliExpress, a global consumer marketplace. The company also provides cloud           General Counsel &          Chief Technology Officer
computing services.
                                                                                                                Corporate Secretary        J. Zhang
BABA offers technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the          T. A. Steinert             Chief Financial Officer
Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with consumers and businesses. The
                                                                                                                Founder & Executive        W. Wu
company thinks it has been a leader in developing online marketplace standards in China, including
consumer protection programs, marketplace rules, qualification standards for merchants and buyer and            Chairman
seller rating systems.                                                                                          Y. Ma
Given the scale BABA has achieved, an ecosystem has developed around its platform that consists of              Board Members
buyers, sellers, third-party service providers, strategic alliance partners and investee companies. At the
center of this ecosystem are the platform and the role BABA plays in connecting buyers and sellers and          B. E. Ekholm               T. M. Kwauk
making it possible for them to do business anytime and anywhere.                                                C. H. Tung                 W. Ling
Consumers and businesses benefit from BABA's ecosystem, because they can access products and                    C. Tsai                    X. Jing
services with a combination of selection, value, quality, convenience and customer experience that might        C. Yang                    Y. Ma
not be available elsewhere. Merchants are enabled by BABA's tools and infrastructure to do business and         J. M. Evans                Y. Wu
flourish on its platform. Other ecosystem participants, including marketing affiliates, logistics providers,    M. Son                     Y. Zhang
independent software vendors and various professional service providers, provide valuable services to the       T. M. Kwauk
company's buyer and seller customers. BABA's ecosystem has strong self-reinforcing network effects that
benefit its marketplace participants, who are invested in its ecosystem's growth and success.                   Domicile                   Auditor
FINANCIAL TRENDS. The revenue BABA generates from retail marketplaces is highly correlated to the               Cayman Islands             PricewaterhouseCoopers
amount of GMV transacted and the monetization rates achieved. Revenue on wholesale marketplaces is                                         LLP
                                                                                                                Founded
largely driven by the number of paying members. BABA primarily derives revenue from online marketing            1999
services, where sellers pay marketing fees to acquire user traffic, commissions based on GMV for
transactions settled through Alipay and membership fees. In FY 18 (Mar.), pay-for-performance (P4P) and         Employees
display marketing services, commissions, membership fees and value-added services as well as cloud              66,421
computing services accounted for 48%, 21%, 6% and 5% of total revenues, respectively.
Marketing services are primarily performance-based. They use market-based bidding systems so that
each merchant determines the price it is willing to pay for such services. The price a merchant is willing to
pay for marketing services generally depends on the merchant's expected GMV, profit margins and the
lifetime value of customers acquired from such marketing investment.
Mobile has become increasingly important for BABA, accounting for what believe is well over 80% of GMV
and revenues for China Commerce Retail for FY 18.
Core Commerce accounted for 85% of revenues in FY 18 and China Commercial Retail accounted for 72%
of revenues in FY 18.
As of March 2018, BABA had $34 billion in cash and short-term investments and around $19 billion in debt.
In September 2014, BABA completed the world's largest-ever IPO (based on capital raised and the initial
size of the company as a publicly-traded entity), with gross proceeds of $22 billion.
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                 2
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Quantitative Evaluations                                                                            Expanded Ratio Analysis
Per ADS Data (U.S. $)                                                           2018        2017         2016       2015        2014         2013       2012        2011        2010       2009
Tangible Book Value                                                             10.39        7.73         7.96       6.06        1.01        -1.00       1.14          NA          NA             NA
Free Cash Flow                                                                   5.95        3.66         2.90       2.31        1.58         0.83       0.45          NA          NA             NA
Earnings                                                                         3.70        2.53         4.39       1.57        1.63         0.57       0.26          NA          NA             NA
Earnings (Normalized)                                                            3.08        2.16         3.09       1.24        1.22         0.56       0.19          NA          NA             NA
Dividends                                                                          NA          NA           NA         NA          NA           NA         NA          NA          NA             NA
Payout Ratio (%)                                                                   NA          NA           NA          0           1            1         NA          NA          NA             NA
Prices: High                                                                   206.20      110.45        95.06     120.00          NA           NA         NA          NA          NA             NA
Prices: Low                                                                    106.76       73.30        57.20      80.03          NA           NA         NA          NA          NA             NA
P/E Ratio: High                                                                   9.5         7.7          9.7        NM          NM           NM         NM           NA          NA             NA
P/E Ratio: Low                                                                    6.7         2.3          2.8        NM          NM           NM         NM           NA          NA             NA
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. Data may be preliminary or restated; before results of discontinued operations/special items. Per share data adjusted for stock dividends; EPS diluted.
E-Estimated. NA-Not Available. NM-Not Meaningful. NR-Not Ranked. UR-Under Review.
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                                              3
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Sub-Industry Outlook                                                                                                                        Industry Performance
Our fundamental outlook for the Internet                                 driving traffic and usage, for example.                           GICS Sector: Information Technology
Software & Services sub-industry for the next                            However, we think mobile advertising is                           Sub-Industry: Internet Software & Services
12 months is positive, reflecting an increasing                          generally priced at lower rates than online                       Based on S&P 1500 Indexes
percentage of related budgets committed to the                           advertising, even as we have noted improving                      Five-Year market price performance through Aug 27, 2018
Internet (versus so-called traditional media)                            trends. Video is an emerging opportunity,
and pricing for associated online offerings,                             especially involving social media and mobile,
which has shown signs of improvement, offset                             and we note the success of offerings like
somewhat by what we view as European                                     Facebook Live.
uncertainties related to the June 2016 Brexit
                                                                         U.S. online retail sales increased 15% in
leave vote. We also have questions about pricing
                                                                         2015, 15% in 2016 and 18% in 2017,
for mobile advertising and see great potential
                                                                         according to the Department of Commerce.
for video.
                                                                         We see growth around the mid-teens level for
We note that in September 2018, the major                                2018 and 2019. We think users are attracted
components in this sub-industry -- Alphabet and                          to Internet retail offerings in large part due to
Facebook -- will be moved within the Global                              factors that include a generally substantial
Industry Classification Standard (GICS)                                  selection of products, 24/7/365 store access
(owned and operated by S&P Dow Jones Indices                             and associated convenience of home delivery,
and MSCI) to a new sector called Communication                           as well as a compelling value proposition.
Services, which will also include major                                  According to Forrester Research, an
communications and media companies. The                                  independent technology and market research
Internet Software & Services sub-industry will                           company, improving initiatives across
be discontinued.                                                         multiple channels, including physical and
U.S. online advertising revenues rose 20% in                             online stores, better merchandising, more
2015, 22% in 2016 and 21% in 2017,                                       customized offerings and increasingly
according to the IAB Internet Revenue Report,                            sophisticated marketing efforts, have helped
and CFRA projects increases of 18% for 2018                              drive considerable segment growth.
and 16% for 2019. (IAB stands for                                        Year to date through June 30, 2018, the S&P
Interactive Advertising Bureau.) Corporations                            1500 Internet Software & Services index rose
commit larger percentages of advertising budgets                         8.3% versus a 2.0% gain in the S&P 1500. In
to digital formats as people spend more time                             2017 and 2016, the index rose 40.0% and
online and on mobile devices, especially as                              5.2% compared with increases in the S&P
compared with consumption of other media.                                1500 of 18.8% and 10.6%.                                          NOTE: All Sector & Sub-Industry information is based on the
Moreover, Internet and mobile marketing offers                                                                                             Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).
                                                                         /Scott Kessler
notable targeting and data-focused                                                                                                         Past performance is not an indication of future performance
return-on-investment capabilities. Mobile has                                                                                              and should not be relied upon as such.
also been driving volumes, accounting for more                                                                                             Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
than half of U.S. digital advertising sales
beginning in 2016.
We also think the advent and growing adoption
of technologies, such as powerful
Internet-enabled smartphones and tablets, are
positive for interactive advertising, notably
Sub-Industry: Internet Software & Services Peer Group*: Internet Software & Services
                                                                                                           Recent                     30-Day   1-Year                                   Fair              Return
                                                            Stock                                            Stock         Stk. Mkt.    Price    Price                 P/E             Value      Yield on Equity        LTD to
Peer Group                                                 Symbol         Exchange Currency               Price ($)       Cap. (M $) Chg. (%) Chg. (%)                Ratio         Calc. ($)      (%)       (%)        Cap (%)
Alibaba Group Holding Limited                               BABA              NYSE           USD           180.65           464,619          -4.6          5.2           53          188.41          Nil       16.2         21.3
Alphabet Inc.                                              GOOG.L         NasdaqGS           USD           1,256.3          868,903           0.3         35.0           54          1,200.3         Nil        8.7          2.5
Altaba Inc.                                                   AABA        NasdaqGS           USD             70.84            42,894          -4.4          9.8           3               NA         Nil       47.3          2.1
Baidu, Inc.                                                   BIDU        NasdaqGS           USD            228.61            80,038        -10.4           1.4          21          330.94          Nil       16.0         20.6
Facebook, Inc.                                                   FB       NasdaqGS           USD            177.46          512,366            1.5          6.7          14          262.99          Nil       23.9           NA
NetEase, Inc.                                                 NTES        NasdaqGS           USD            211.78            27,813        -20.1        -20.8           27          111.98         0.9        25.4           NA
Spotify Technology S.A.                                       SPOT             NYSE          USD            194.69            35,001           4.5         NM           NM                NA         Nil         NM         79.8
Tencent Holdings Limited                                    TCEH.Y            OTCPK          USD             45.99          434,666           -3.2          9.5          36               NA        0.2        31.3         27.3
Twitter, Inc.                                                TWTR              NYSE          USD             35.89            27,095           5.2      115.6           NM             21.60         Nil        -2.2        23.8
Yahoo Japan Corporation                                    YAHO.Y             OTCPK          USD             6.844            19,483          -3.6       -27.5           16               NA        2.4        12.7         14.5
eBay Inc.                                                     EBAY        NasdaqGS           USD             34.58            34,219           2.3        -0.3          NM                NA         Nil      -10.9         51.1
*For Peer Groups with more than 10 companies or stocks, selection of issues is based on market capitalization.
NA-Not Available NM-Not Meaningful.
Note: Peers are selected based on Global Industry Classification Standards and market capitalization. The peer group list includes companies with similar characteristics, but may not include all the companies within the same
industry and/or that engage in the same line of business.
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                                                                          4
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Analyst Research Notes and other Company News
August 24, 2018                                                                                  of 1.2. Applying these multiples and averaging the outputs results in our target. We
08:07 am ET... CFRA REITERATES STRONG BUY OPINION ON ADSS OF ALIBABA                             lower our per-ADS profit estimates for FY 19 to $6.57 from $6.75 and FY 20 to
GROUP HOLDING LIMITED (BABA 172.23*****): We trim our 12-month target by                         $8.35 from $8.58, as BABA aggressively invests for growth. Revenues rose 61%,
$5 to $211. Peers have a median forward P/E of 30.3X and a P/E-to-growth ratio                   well above our expectations, driven by a 56% gain from China Commerce Retail.
of 1.4. Applying those metrics to BABA and averaging the outputs results in our                  Cloud Computing revenues more than doubled. However, the Cloud Computing and
target. We lower our per-ADS profit forecasts for FY 19 (Mar.) to $5.69 from                     Digital Media & Entertainment areas are generating negative EBITA and we see
$6.57 and FY 20 to $7.81 from $8.35, reflecting a decline in Chinese yuan                        significant spending related to Lazada (southeast Asia marketplaces) and Cainiao
compared with the U.S. dollar. Non-GAAP earnings were $1.22 vs. a reported $1.                   (logistics). We think BABA should continue to invest for growth, as the company has
17, $0.02 below the S&P Capital IQ consensus. Revenues rose 61%, with gains                      been delivering strong revenue gains. We are constructive on BABA's efforts to
of 47% from China Commerce Retail, 93% from Cloud Computing , and 46% from                       expand outside China, especially via Lazada. We see BABA's PEG of 0.9 as
Digital Media and Entertainment (7%). BABA is investing aggressively for                         attractive. /Scott Kessler
growth, despite U.S. tariffs and a potential trade war, and we note it is very
focused on China (we estimate 85-90% of revenues are derived from China) and                     February 01, 2018
consumption and investment in the country account for more than 90% of GDP                       02:57 pm ET... CFRA UPGRADES OPINION ON ADSS OF ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING
growth. We acknowledge macroeconomic risks, but see BABA as significantly                        LIMITED TO BUY FROM HOLD (BABA 204.29****): We raise our 12-month target
undervalued, especially given its growth profile. /Scott Kessler                                 by $35 to $232. Peers have a median forward P/E of 28.2X and P/E-to-growth of
                                                                                                 1.3. Using these and averaging the outputs results in our target. We trim our
August 23, 2018                                                                                  FY 18 (March) profit per ADS estimate by $0.14 to $5.31 and raise our FY 19
12:08 pm ET... CFRA REITERATES STRONG BUY OPINION ON ADSS OF ALIBABA                             and FY 20 forecasts by $0.17 to $6.75 and $0.12 to $8.58. BABA posts
GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED (BABA 177.85*****): Revenues rose 61%, reflecting                         normalized Dec-Q earnings of $1.69 vs. $1.32, $0.03 over the S&P Capital
gains of 47% from the China Commerce Retail segment (accounting for 67% of                       IQ consensus. Dec-Q revenue rose 56%, with gains of 57% from Core Commerce
revenues), 93% from Cloud Computing (6%) and 46% from Digital Media and                          and
Entertainment (7%). China Commerce Retail experienced increases of 24% in                        104% from Cloud Computing. BABA also took a 33% stake in Ant Financial. We now
annual active consumers (largely reflecting growth in "lower tier                                see BABA as attractive. /Scott Kessler
cities") and 20% in mobile monthly active users. BABA posts non-GAAP
profits per ADS of $1.22 vs. a reported $1.17, $0.02 below the S&P                               November 02, 2017
Capital IQ consensus, and we note a significant decline in the Chinese yuan                      04:31 pm ET... CFRA REITERATES HOLD OPINION ON ADSS OF ALIBABA GROUP
against the U.S. dollar over the past four months or so. We have noted strong                    HOLDING LIMITED (BABA 184.81***): We raise our 12-month target by $12 to
growth in the core retail operations, from the more emerging cloud and digital                   $197. Peers have a median forward P/E of 32.3X and a P/E-to-growth of 1.4.
media units, and from some other areas such as international retail, local (most                 Applying these multiples and averaging the outputs results in our target. We
notably online food delivery) and logistics. BABA continues to invest                            raise our per-ADS profit estimates for FY 18 (March) to $5.45 from $4.92, FY
aggressively in a number of areas to drive growth and scale, and we think the                    19 to $6.58 from $6.25, and FY 20 to $8.46 from $7.95. BABA posts non-GAAP
company is executing well, despite some margin pressures. /Scott Kessler                         Sep-Q earnings of $1.29 vs. $0.79, $0.26 above the S&P Capital IQ
                                                                                                 consensus. Revenues rose 61%, driven by a 64% gain from China Commerce Retail
August 20, 2018                                                                                  (72% of the total). Gross margin narrowed on M&A and revenue mix. We see
09:34 am ET... CFRA ADDS ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTD. TO ITS TOP-10                                BABA as fully valued. /Scott Kessler
PORTFOLIO (BABA 172.78*****): Our 12-month target price of $216 assumes the
shares of this leading Chinese provider of e-commerce services trade at 32.9X
our FY 19 (Mar.) per-ADS estimate of $6.57 and at 25.9X our FY 20 per-ADS
estimate of $8.35. Although our view is tempered by potential weakness in the
Chinese economy and currency (potentially exacerbated by trade tensions), we
view the shares attractively valued following a recent pullback. We expect BABA
to produce revenue growth of 41% in FY 19 and 30% in FY 20, reflecting expected
gains in internet/mobile penetration, digital commerce in China and in cloud
offerings (which we see as a notable growth opportunity). BABA replaces
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO 210 *****) in the Top-10 Portfolio. Cathy Seifert
Note: Research notes reflect CFRA's published opinions and analysis on the stock at the time the note was published. The note reflects the views of the equity analyst as of the date and time
indicated in the note, and may not reflect CFRA's current view on the company.
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                                       5
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Analysts' Recommendations                                                                                                           Wall Street Consensus Opinion
    Monthly Average Trend     Buy           Buy/Hold           Hold        Weak Hold          Sell         BABA Ticker              BUY
                              B             BH                 H           WH                 S
                                                                                                                                    For fiscal year 2019, analysts estimate that BABA will earn
                                                                                                                                    USD $5.76. For the 1st quarter of fiscal year 2019, BABA
                                                                                                                                    announced earnings per share of USD $0.52, representing
                                                                                                                                    9% of the total revenue estimate. For fiscal year 2020,
                                                                                                                                    analysts estimate that BABA's earnings per share will grow
                                                                                                                                    by 34% to USD $7.70.
Fiscal Years                                                  Avg Est.    High Est      Low Est.       # of Est.         Est. P/E
2020                                                             7.70        9.24          5.83              40             23.4
2019                                                             5.76        6.89          4.91              41             31.4
2020 vs. 2019                                                    34%         34%           19%             -2%             -25%
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                                         6
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Glossary                                                                                            FY - Fiscal Year
                                                                                                    P/E - Price/Earnings
STARS                                                                                               P/NAV - Price to Net Asset Value PEG Ratio - P/E-to-Growth Ratio PV - Present
Since January 1, 1987, CFRA Equity and Fund Research Services, and its                              Value
predecessor S&P Capital IQ Equity Research has ranked a universe of U.S.                            R&D - Research & Development ROCE - Return on Capital Employed ROE -
common stocks, ADRs (American Depositary Receipts), and ADSs (American                              Return on Equity
Depositary Shares) based on a given equity's potential for future performance.                      ROI - Return on Investment
Similarly, we have ranked Asian and European equities since June 30, 2002.                          ROIC - Return on Invested Capital
Under proprietary STARS (Stock Appreciation Ranking System), equity analysts                        ROA - Return on Assets
rank equities according to their individual forecast of an equity's future total                    SG&A - Selling, General & Administrative Expenses
return potential versus the expected total return of a relevant benchmark (e.g., a                  SOTP - Sum-of-The-Parts
regional index (S&P Asia 50 Index, S&P Europe 350® Index or S&P 500® Index)),                       WACC - Weighted Average Cost of Capital
based on a 12-month time horizon. STARS was designed to meet the needs of
                                                                                                    Dividends on American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and American Depository
investors looking to put their investment decisions in perspective. Data used to
                                                                                                    Shares (ADSs) are net of taxes (paid in the country of origin).
assist in determining the STARS ranking may be the result of the analyst's own
models as well as internal proprietary models resulting from dynamic data                           Qualitative Risk Assessment
inputs.                                                                                             Reflects an equity analyst's view of a given company's operational risk, or the
                                                                                                    risk of a firm's ability to continue as an ongoing concern. The Qualitative Risk
S&P Global Market Intelligence's Quality Ranking
                                                                                                    Assessment is a relative ranking to the U.S. STARS universe, and should be
(also known as S&P Capital IQ Earnings & Dividend Rankings) - Growth and
                                                                                                    reflective of risk factors related to a company's operations, as opposed to risk
stability of earnings and dividends are deemed key elements in establishing S&P
                                                                                                    and volatility measures associated with share prices. For an ETF this reflects on
Global Market Intelligence's earnings and dividend rankings for common stocks,
                                                                                                    a capitalization-weighted basis, the average qualitative risk assessment
which are designed to capsulize the nature of this record in a single symbol. It
                                                                                                    assigned to holdings of the fund.
should be noted, however, that the process also takes into consideration certain
adjustments and modifications deemed desirable in establishing such rankings.                       STARS Ranking system and definition:
The final score for each stock is measured against a scoring matrix determined                                  5-STARS (Strong Buy):
by analysis of the scores of a large and representative sample of stocks. The                       Total return is expected to outperform the total return of a relevant benchmark,
range of scores in the array of this sample has been aligned with the following                     by a notable margin over the coming 12 months, with shares rising in price on an
ladder of rankings:                                                                                 absolute basis.
A+ Highest                B Below Average                                                                       4-STARS (Buy):
A High                    B- Lower                                                                  Total return is expected to outperform the total return of a relevant benchmark
A- Above Average          C Lowest                                                                  over the coming 12 months, with shares rising in price on an absolute basis.
B+ Average                D In Reorganization                                                                   3-STARS (Hold):
NR Not Ranked                                                                                       Total return is expected to closely approximate the total return of a relevant
EPS Estimates                                                                                       benchmark over the coming 12 months, with shares generally rising in price on
CFRA's earnings per share (EPS) estimates reflect analyst projections of future                     an absolute basis.
EPS from continuing operations, and generally exclude various items that are                                    2-STARS (Sell):
viewed as special, non-recurring, or extraordinary. Also, EPS estimates reflect                     Total return is expected to underperform the total return of a relevant
either forecasts of equity analysts; or, the consensus (average) EPS estimate,                      benchmark over the coming 12 months, and the share price is not anticipated to
which are independently compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, a data                          show a gain.
provider to CFRA. Among the items typically excluded from EPS estimates are                                     1-STAR (Strong Sell):
asset sale gains; impairment, restructuring or merger-related charges; legal and                    Total return is expected to underperform the total return of a relevant
insurance settlements; in process research and development expenses; gains or                       benchmark by a notable margin over the coming 12 months, with shares falling
losses on the extinguishment of debt; the cumulative effect of accounting                           in price on an absolute basis.
changes; and earnings related to operations that have been classified by the                        Relevant benchmarks:
company as discontinued. The inclusion of some items, such as stock option                          In North America, the relevant benchmark is the S&P 500 Index, in Europe and in
expense and recurring types of other charges, may vary, and depend on such                          Asia, the relevant benchmarks are the S&P Europe 350 Index and the S&P Asia
factors as industry practice, analyst judgment, and the extent to which some                        50 Index, respectively.
types of data is disclosed by companies.
12-Month Target Price
The equity analyst's projection of the market price a given security will command
12 months hence, based on a combination of intrinsic, relative, and private
market valuation metrics, including Fair Value.
CFRA Equity Research
CFRA Equity Research is produced and distributed by Accounting Research &
Analytics, LLC d/b/a CFRA ("CFRA US"; together with its affiliates and
subsidiaries, "CFRA"). Certain research is produced and distributed by CFRA MY
Sdn Bhd (Company No. 683377-A) (formerly known as Standard & Poor's
Malaysia Sdn Bhd) ("CFRA Malaysia"). Certain research is distributed by CFRA UK
Limited ("CFRA UK"). CFRA UK and CFRA Malaysia are wholly-owned subsidiaries
of CFRA US.
Abbreviations Used in Equity Research Reports
CAGR - Compound Annual Growth Rate
CAPEX - Capital Expenditures
CY - Calendar Year
DCF - Discounted Cash Flow
DDM - Dividend Discount Model
EBIT - Earnings Before Interest and Taxes
EBITDA - Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization
EPS - Earnings Per Share
EV - Enterprise Value
FCF - Free Cash Flow
FFO - Funds From Operations
Redistribution or reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright © 2018 CFRA.                                                                               7
Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
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                                                                                                    or other application or output therefrom) or any part thereof (Content) may be modified,
S&P GLOBAL™ is used under license. The owner of this trademark is S&P Global Inc. or its            reverse engineered, reproduced or distributed in any form by any means, or stored in a
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Ranking             North America         Europe               Asia             Global
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Stock Report | August 27, 2018 | NYSE Symbol: BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
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