Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988)
:9988
Earnings Data
Report Date
May 14, 2026Before Open (Confirmed)
Period Ending
2026 (Q4)Consensus EPS Forecast
1.15Last Year’s EPS
1.69Same Quarter Last Year
Strong Buy
Based on 26 Analysts Ratings
Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Sentiment|Neutral
The call highlighted strong and accelerating AI and cloud momentum (35–36% cloud growth, triple‑digit AI product growth, cloud market share gains, token and model usage surges, scaled T‑Head shipments, and rapid quick commerce revenue growth of 56%), supported by a robust cash position. At the same time, near‑term profitability metrics were materially weaker (total adjusted EBITA down 57%, GAAP net income down 66%, free cash flow contraction) due to deliberate, large investments across AI, cloud and quick commerce and some segment‑level revenue declines and losses. Management framed the profit declines as intentional reinvestment to capture a sizable AI and quick commerce opportunity while providing multi‑year targets (e.g., >$100B cloud+AI external revenue in 5 years, RMB 1 trillion quick commerce GMV by FY28). Balancing significant operating growth and strategic milestones against substantial near‑term profit contraction and elevated investment‑driven losses, the overall tone is mixed: strong long‑term growth orientation but with meaningful near‑term financial trade‑offs.Company Guidance
Strong consolidated revenue growth (like-for-like)
Total revenue of RMB 284.8 billion for the quarter; on a like‑for‑like basis excluding Sun Art and Intime, revenue grew 9% year‑over‑year.
Cloud Intelligence Group: accelerating growth and market share gains
Cloud Intelligence Group revenue growth accelerated to ~35–36% year‑over‑year (management cited 36%; CFO cited 35% external customer growth, up from 29% last quarter). Cloud market share grew for three consecutive quarters and reached 36%.
AI product momentum — consecutive triple‑digit growth
AI‑related product revenue delivered triple‑digit year‑over‑year growth for the tenth consecutive quarter; AI products are a growing share of external cloud revenue.
Alibaba Cloud scale milestones
Alibaba Cloud's cumulative external revenue through February FY2026 surpassed RMB 100 billion; Cloud adjusted EBITA margin remained relatively stable at 9%.
Rapid token and model usage growth
Token consumption on the model studio platform grew 6x over the past three months; Qwen model family surpassed 1 billion cumulative downloads on Hugging Face by end of January.
Qwen consumer traction
Qwen consumer‑facing app surpassed 300 million monthly active users (MAU) across platforms and was integrated across Alibaba ecosystem apps during Chinese New Year.
T‑Head chip scale and commercialization
T‑Head cumulative shipments reached 470,000 AI chips as of February 2026; over 60% of shipments serve external customers and T‑Head supports AI workloads for more than 400 enterprise customers. Management indicated annual revenue for T‑Head has reached the RMB 10 billion level and capacity is expected to expand in 2026–2027.
Quick commerce growth and strategic progress
Quick commerce revenue increased 56% year‑over‑year to RMB 20.8 billion; management reiterated a target of over RMB 1 trillion in quick commerce GMV by FY2028, expected to generate positive cash flow at that scale and profitable by FY2029.
E‑commerce top‑line and user metrics
China e‑commerce group revenue was RMB 159.3 billion, up 6% year‑over‑year. Taobao App monthly active consumers achieved double‑digit year‑over‑year growth, aided by quick commerce synergies and new user acquisition (AAC increased by ~150 million in 2025).
Solid cash position and operating cash inflow
Operating cash flow was an inflow of RMB 36 billion; company held USD 42.5 billion in net cash as of December 31, 2025 (management noted net position beyond USD 60 billion excluding maturities beyond five years), supporting continued reinvestment.
Logistics and AIDC improvements
AIDC revenue grew 4% year‑over‑year and its adjusted EBITA loss narrowed significantly due to logistics optimization and improved investment efficiency; unit economics improvements were noted for AliExpress Choice and Freshippo.
HK:9988 Earnings History
The table shows recent earnings report dates and whether the forecast was beat or missed. See the change in forecast and EPS from the previous year.
Beat
Missed
HK:9988 Earnings-Related Price Changes
Report Date | Price 1 Day Before | Price 1 Day After | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Mar 19, 2026 | HK$137.70 | HK$132.00 | -4.14% |
Nov 25, 2025 | HK$154.50 | HK$157.80 | +2.14% |
Aug 29, 2025 | HK$115.80 | HK$115.70 | -0.09% |
May 15, 2025 | HK$128.25 | HK$126.77 | -1.15% |
Earnings announcements can affect a stock’s price. This table shows the stock's price the day before and the day after recent earnings reports, including the percentage change.
FAQ
When does Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) report earnings?
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) is schdueled to report earning on May 14, 2026, Before Open (Confirmed).
What is Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) earnings time?
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) earnings time is at May 14, 2026, Before Open (Confirmed).
Where can I see when companies are reporting earnings?
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What companies are reporting earnings today?
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What is the P/E ratio of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. stock?
The P/E ratio of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is N/A.
What is HK:9988 EPS forecast?
HK:9988 EPS forecast for the fiscal quarter 2026 (Q4) is 1.15.