BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
BABA's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
LOCO
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
LOCO has the edge over BABA overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger valuation.
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.
LOCO Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
LOCO's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue 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's PE is 21x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
LOCO PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 12x | $14.02 | -5.3% |
| Current | 13x | $14.80 | — |
| Forward | 14x | $14.80 | — |
| Fair | 15x | $17.10 | +16% |
| Expensive | 22x | $25.82 | +74% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LOCO has the edge over BABA in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
BABA Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
BABA has the edge over LOCO on the outlook, with more favorable revenue and profitability expectations.
LOCO Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Deteriorating | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect LOCO'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.
LOCO Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.03 | -10% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.15 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.17 | +38% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.98 | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.90 | +4.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.89 | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.85 | 0% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.86 | +7.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.86 | +16% |
LOCO 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 has the edge over LOCO on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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.
LOCO Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $126.3M | +3.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $129.6M | +3% |
| Q1 2026 | $126.2M | +5.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $123.5M | +8.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $121.5M | +0.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $125.8M | +3% |
| Q1 2025 | $119.2M | +2.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $114.3M | +1.8% |
LOCO's revenue has grown year over year for eight quarters in a row: $126M last quarter, up 3.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 8.1% | -1.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 14% | +5.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 9.7% | +2.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 8.3% | +0.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 9.4% | +1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 9% | -1.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 7.5% | -0.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 7.9% | +1.3 points |
LOCO 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.
LOCO Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $506K | -95% |
| Q2 2026 | $23.3M | +156% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.8M | +105% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.1M | +349% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.9M | +8.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $9.1M | -13% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.3M | -81% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.1M | -47% |
LOCO 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 the edge over LOCO on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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.
LOCO Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +116K shares |
| 1 year | +2.7% | +802K shares |
| 3 years | -9.8% | -3.3M shares |
| 5 years | -17% | -6.3M shares |
| Available history | -14% | -5M shares |
LOCO has 30M diluted shares, up 2.7% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | $1,000 |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $68,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $1.8M |
| Q4 2024 | $1.3M |
| Q3 2024 | $1.1M |
| Q2 2024 | $17M |
| Q1 2024 | $1.2M |
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's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
LOCO Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.2x | Healthy |
LOCO has the edge over BABA on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
LOCO Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 50.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 34.4 | Neutral |
LOCO's weekly RSI is 50 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 34 (neutral).
BABA PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | BABA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 21x | 18x | 19% above |
| PE % | 60 | 47 | 13 pts above |
BABA is trading at 21x earnings, a 19% premium to the Consumer Cyclical sector's median of 18x, though its earnings don't support one.
LOCO PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | LOCO | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 18x | 29% below |
| PE % | 26 | 47 | 21 pts below |
LOCO has the edge over BABA on valuation relative to its sector.
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.
LOCO Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $14.9 | 0.7% below |
| 20 week MA | $15.4 | 4% below |
| 50 week MA | $13.8 | 7.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $12.1 | 22% above |
| 200 week MA | $11.3 | 32% above |
LOCO 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.
LOCO Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $14.9 | $18.4 | +24% |
| 2021 | $18.4 | $14.5 | -21% |
| 2022 | $14.5 | $10.3 | -29% |
| 2023 | $10.3 | $8.82 | -14% |
| 2024 | $8.82 | $11.6 | +31% |
| 2025 | $11.6 | $10.9 | -6.2% |
| 2026 YTD | $10.9 | $14.8 | +36% |
LOCO has the edge over BABA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.