BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
BABA offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
DRI
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
DRI has the edge over BABA overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and lower modeled downside.
BABA Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Under pressure | |
| Weak | |
| Healthy |
BABA's balance sheet is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable, but its profitability and cash flow are under pressure.
DRI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
DRI's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable.
BABA PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 16x | $69.66 | -26% |
| Fair | 20x | $86.59 | -8.2% |
| Current | 21x | $94.36 | — |
| Expensive | 26x | $115 | +22% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
BABA has the edge over DRI in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
DRI PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 17x | $179 | -22% |
| Fair | 20x | $205 | -10% |
| Forward | 20x | $228 | — |
| Current | 22x | $228 | — |
| Expensive | 23x | $232 | +1.7% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
DRI's PE is in its expensive range at 22x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 20x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
BABA Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
BABA has the edge over DRI on the outlook, with more favorable revenue and profitability expectations.
DRI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Broad | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect DRI's earnings to grow, with its revenue and profitability holding steady.
BABA Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $4.42 | -52% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.57 | -18% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.79 | -22% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.85 | +49% |
| Q2 2025 | $9.27 | +116% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.06 | +71% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.47 | +24% |
| Q3 2024 | $5.26 | -35% |
BABA's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $4.42 over the past year, against $9.27 in mid-2025. Its recent earnings include one-off gains.
DRI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $11.48 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.23 | +9.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.38 | +17% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.43 | +6.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.52 | +9.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.31 | +7.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.86 | +4.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.86 | +4% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.72 | +5.6% |
DRI has the edge over BABA on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
BABA Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $40.2B | +8.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $36.5B | +2.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $42.7B | +1.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $37.2B | +4.8% |
| Q2 2025 | $37.2B | +1.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $35.5B | +6.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $42B | +7.6% |
| Q3 2024 | $35.5B | +5.2% |
BABA's revenue has grown year over year for 16 quarters in a row: $40.2B last quarter, up 8.3% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 7.2% | -6.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3% | -12 points |
| Q4 2025 | 7.1% | -7.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 2.2% | -13 points |
| Q2 2025 | 14% | -0.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 12% | +5.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 15% | +6.1 points |
| Q3 2024 | 15% | 0 points |
BABA's operating margin was 7.2% last quarter, down 6.9 points from the same quarter a year ago.
DRI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.2B | +5.1% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.7B | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.3B | +5.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.1B | +7.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $3B | +10% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.3B | +11% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.2B | +6.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.9B | +6% |
DRI has the edge over BABA on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 10% | -1.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 14% | +2.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 12% | -1.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 10% | +0.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 11% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 12% | -1.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | +0.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 10% | -0.1 points |
DRI has the edge over BABA on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
BABA Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -$6.7B | -$4.1B |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.7B | +$1.5B |
| Q4 2025 | $1B | -90% |
| Q3 2025 | -$3.2B | -254% |
| Q2 2025 | -$2.7B | -182% |
| Q1 2025 | -$4.2B | -12231% |
| Q4 2024 | $10.4B | -4.8% |
| Q3 2024 | $2.1B | -62% |
BABA's free cash flow has turned negative after years in the green: −$11.6B over the past year.
DRI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $103.7M | -38% |
| Q2 2026 | $379M | +33% |
| Q1 2026 | $451.9M | +5.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $119.8M | -45% |
| Q3 2025 | $168.4M | +32% |
| Q2 2025 | $285M | -0.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $430.1M | -1.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $219.3M | +22% |
DRI has the edge over BABA on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
BABA Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.5% | +11.1M shares |
| 1 year | +0.9% | +21.4M shares |
| 3 years | -6.2% | -161M shares |
| 5 years | -12% | -339M shares |
| Available history | -8.4% | -221M shares |
BABA has 2.4B diluted shares, up 0.9% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | $269.8M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
BABA spent $270M buying back its own shares over the past year, after none the year before.
DRI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.6% | -1.9M shares |
| 1 year | -2.7% | -3.2M shares |
| 3 years | -6.2% | -7.6M shares |
| 5 years | -13% | -17.3M shares |
| Available history | -7.5% | -9.3M shares |
DRI has the edge over BABA on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $220.8M |
| Q2 2026 | $137.3M |
| Q1 2026 | $127.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $224.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $182.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $51M |
| Q1 2025 | $53M |
| Q4 2024 | $141.8M |
DRI spent $710M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 66% from the year before.
BABA Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q3 2024 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
BABA has the edge over DRI on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
DRI Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.2x | Healthy |
DRI's net debt is about 1.1 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), about the same as a year ago.
BABA Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 38.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 12.7 | Oversold |
BABA's weekly RSI is 38 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 13 (oversold).
DRI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 80.3 | Overbought |
DRI's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 80 (overbought).
BABA PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | BABA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 21x | 18x | 19% above |
| PE % | 60 | 47 | 13 pts above |
BABA has the edge over DRI on valuation relative to its sector.
DRI PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | DRI | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 22x | 18x | 24% above |
| PE % | 79 | 47 | 32 pts above |
DRI is trading at 22x earnings, a 24% premium to the Consumer Cyclical sector's median of 18x.
BABA Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $104.7 | 9.9% below |
| 20 week MA | $111.1 | 15% below |
| 50 week MA | $128.0 | 26% below |
| 100 week MA | $127.7 | 26% below |
| 200 week MA | $106.4 | 11% below |
BABA is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 11% below its 200-week average.
DRI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $212.6 | 7.2% above |
| 20 week MA | $211.0 | 8% above |
| 50 week MA | $205.0 | 11% above |
| 100 week MA | $201.2 | 13% above |
| 200 week MA | $178.7 | 28% above |
DRI has the edge over BABA on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
BABA Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $215.5 | $222.0 | +3% |
| 2021 | $222.0 | $118.7 | -47% |
| 2022 | $118.7 | $85.7 | -28% |
| 2023 | $85.7 | $77.5 | -9.5% |
| 2024 | $77.5 | $85.1 | +9.7% |
| 2025 | $85.1 | $152.2 | +79% |
| 2026 YTD | $152.2 | $94.4 | -38% |
BABA has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's down 38% so far in 2026.
DRI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $108.0 | $117.9 | +9.1% |
| 2021 | $117.9 | $148.8 | +26% |
| 2022 | $148.8 | $138.8 | -6.7% |
| 2023 | $138.8 | $164.3 | +18% |
| 2024 | $164.3 | $187.6 | +14% |
| 2025 | $187.6 | $188.4 | +0.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $188.4 | $227.9 | +21% |
DRI has the edge over BABA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.