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AMZN vs. BABA: Amazon.com vs. Alibaba Stock Comparison

How do Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA) are both classified in the Broadline Retail sub-industry within the broader Broadline Retail industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Amazon.com (AMZN) trades as ordinary local shares, while Alibaba (BABA) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
Profile ItemAMZNBABA
NameAmazon.com Inc.Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesChina
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Discretionary Distribution & RetailConsumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryBroadline RetailBroadline Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryBroadline RetailBroadline Retail
Market Capitalization2,799.37 billion USD275.59 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMay 15, 1997September 19, 2014
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AMZN
BABA
GSPC
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Total Return (1Y)18.24%-32.57%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)26.09%12.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)9.64%-6.69%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AMZN
BABA
GSPC
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Amazon.com (AMZN) has an aggressive beta of 1.49, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Alibaba (BABA) is defensive at 0.44 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)34.25%40.91%
Beta (5Y)1.490.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.73%-64.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)38.57M10.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AMZN and BABA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.40-0.90
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.68-1.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 30.56% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Alibaba (BABA) at 6.36% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

30.56%

Max
62.17%
Q3
32.42%
AMZN
30.56%
Median
15.81%
Q1
6.44%
Min
-20.00%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.36%

Max
62.17%
Q3
32.42%
Median
15.81%
Q1
6.44%
BABA
6.36%
Min
-20.00%
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 17.44% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alibaba (BABA) at 7.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

17.44%

Max
18.57%
AMZN
17.44%
Q3
8.71%
Median
4.29%
Q1
1.17%
Min
-9.41%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.04%

Max
18.57%
Q3
8.71%
BABA
7.04%
Median
4.29%
Q1
1.17%
Min
-9.41%
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 13.69% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Alibaba (BABA) at 7.30%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

13.69%

Max
24.71%
AMZN
13.69%
Q3
11.60%
Median
6.20%
Q1
2.73%
Min
-6.74%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.30%

Max
24.71%
Q3
11.60%
BABA
7.30%
Median
6.20%
Q1
2.73%
Min
-6.74%
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
ROE (TTM)30.56%6.36%
ROA (TTM)6.59%1.56%
Net Margin (TTM)17.44%7.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.69%7.30%
Gross Margin (TTM)50.77%38.20%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 12.38% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Alibaba (BABA) at 2.74% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AMZN.

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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 29.66% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Alibaba (BABA) at -17.91% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AMZN.

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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.38%2.74%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.73%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)29.66%-17.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--17.05%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 1.03 and Alibaba (BABA) at 1.36 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.03

Max
2.67
Q3
1.80
Median
1.36
AMZN
1.03
Q1
1.02
Min
0.49

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max
2.67
Q3
1.80
BABA
1.36
Median
1.36
Q1
1.02
Min
0.49
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 0.46 and Alibaba (BABA) at 0.24 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.46

Max
3.53
Q3
1.84
Median
1.11
Q1
0.70
AMZN
0.46
Min
0.01

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.24

Max
3.53
Q3
1.84
Median
1.11
Q1
0.70
BABA
0.24
Min
0.01
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.031.36
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.460.24
Net Debt / EBITDA0.76-1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a yield of 6.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
6.50%
Q3
2.72%
AMZN
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.50%

BABA
6.50%
Max
6.50%
Q3
2.72%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a payout of 25.44%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
72.73%
Q3
29.75%
AMZN
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

25.44%

Max
72.73%
Q3
29.75%
BABA
25.44%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%6.50%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%25.44%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Amazon.com (AMZN) at 20.88 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Alibaba (BABA) at 26.82 sits in the richer quartile — BABA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

20.88

Max
37.23
Q3
24.09
AMZN
20.88
Median
17.91
Q1
12.28
Min
0.91

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

26.82

Max
37.23
BABA
26.82
Q3
24.09
Median
17.91
Q1
12.28
Min
0.91
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Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.26 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Amazon.com (AMZN) at 3.61 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.61

Max
3.87
AMZN
3.61
Q3
1.71
Median
0.66
Q1
0.27
Min
0.03

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.26

Max
3.87
Q3
1.71
Median
0.66
Q1
0.27
BABA
0.26
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.65 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Amazon.com (AMZN) at 5.07 carries an above-peer premium to book — AMZN is pricier on assets.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

5.07

Max
9.23
AMZN
5.07
Q3
4.75
Median
1.95
Q1
1.03
Min
-3.33

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.65

Max
9.23
Q3
4.75
Median
1.95
BABA
1.65
Q1
1.03
Min
-3.33
Loading chart…
Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
MetricAMZNBABA
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.8826.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.610.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.071.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.12%-29.99%