BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
BABA's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
PYPL
PayPal Holdings, Inc.
PYPL has the edge over BABA overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
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.
PYPL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
PYPL's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like PYPL.
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.
PYPL PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 9.9x | $58.30 | — |
| Current | 11x | $58.30 | — |
| Cheap | 15x | $76.16 | +31% |
| Fair | 26x | $136 | +133% |
| Expensive | 67x | $351 | +503% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PYPL 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 PYPL on the outlook, with more favorable revenue expectations.
PYPL Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect PYPL's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue 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.
PYPL Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $5.87 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.24 | +5.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.29 | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.33 | +20% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.41 | +36% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.97 | +19% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.66 | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.45 | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.99 | +3.9% |
PYPL 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 PYPL 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.
PYPL Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.6B | +2% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.7B | +4.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.4B | +7.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $8.7B | +3.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.4B | +7.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.3B | +5.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.8B | +1.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.4B | +4.2% |
PYPL's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $8.6B last quarter, up 2% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 16% | -1.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 16% | -1.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 18% | -1.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 17% | +0.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 18% | +0.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 18% | +1.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 20% | +4.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 17% | -4.3 points |
PYPL 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.
PYPL Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.4B | -17% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.8B | +157% |
| Q1 2026 | $903M | -6.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.2B | 0% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.7B | +19% |
| Q2 2025 | $692M | -49% |
| Q1 2025 | $964M | -45% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.2B | -11% |
PYPL 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.
PYPL Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2.7% | -24M shares |
| 1 year | -11% | -102M shares |
| 3 years | -22% | -240M shares |
| 5 years | -28% | -329M shares |
| Available history | -28% | -329M shares |
PYPL has the edge over BABA on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.5B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $1.5B |
| Q4 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q2 2025 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q4 2024 | $1.3B |
PYPL spent $6.1B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 4% 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 PYPL on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
PYPL Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.5x | Very low |
PYPL's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA). Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like PYPL.
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).
PYPL Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 58.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 61.9 | Neutral |
PYPL's weekly RSI is 58 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 62 (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.
PYPL PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | PYPL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 11x | 13x | 15% below |
| PE % | 10 | 63 | 53 pts below |
PYPL 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.
PYPL Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $56.5 | 3.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $55.5 | 5% above |
| 50 week MA | $51.5 | 13% above |
| 100 week MA | $61.6 | 5.4% below |
| 200 week MA | $64.5 | 9.6% below |
PYPL 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.
PYPL Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $109.4 | $238.6 | +118% |
| 2021 | $238.6 | $192.0 | -20% |
| 2022 | $192.0 | $69.0 | -64% |
| 2023 | $69.0 | $61.4 | -11% |
| 2024 | $61.4 | $86.9 | +41% |
| 2025 | $86.9 | $60.0 | -31% |
| 2026 YTD | $60.0 | $58.3 | -2.8% |
PYPL has the edge over BABA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.