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

July 23, 2026

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 Item	AMZN	BABA
Name	Amazon.com, Inc.	Alibaba Group Holding Limited SP ADR
Country/Region	United States	China
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Broadline Retail	Broadline Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Broadline Retail	Broadline Retail
Market Capitalization	2,662.92 billion USD	282.76 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	May 15, 1997	September 19, 2014
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AMZN

BABA

GSPC

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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Total Return (1Y)	7.96%	-1.01%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.95%	10.80%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.67%	-9.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AMZN

BABA

GSPC

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

Loading price history…

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 1.46, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Alibaba (BABA) is defensive at 0.51 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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	31.17%	44.89%
Beta (5Y)	1.46	0.51
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.77%	-70.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	48.85M	12.53M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.13	-0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.18	-0.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 24.29% and Alibaba (BABA) at 9.22% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

24.29%

Max: 63.82%
Q3: 31.99%
AMZN: 24.29%
Median: 14.10%
Q1: 5.79%
Min: -29.94%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

9.22%

Max: 63.82%
Q3: 31.99%
Median: 14.10%
BABA: 9.22%
Q1: 5.79%
Min: -29.94%

Amazon.com (AMZN) vs. Alibaba (BABA): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 12.22% and Alibaba (BABA) at 10.12% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

12.22%

Max: 20.45%
AMZN: 12.22%
Q3: 8.98%
Median: 3.75%
Q1: 0.80%
Min: -11.15%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

10.12%

Max: 20.45%
BABA: 10.12%
Q3: 8.98%
Median: 3.75%
Q1: 0.80%
Min: -11.15%

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 13.14% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Alibaba (BABA) at 1.02% operates in the bottom quartile.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

13.14%

Max: 23.15%
AMZN: 13.14%
Q3: 11.13%
Median: 4.82%
Q1: 1.65%
Min: -8.71%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.02%

Max: 23.15%
Q3: 11.13%
Median: 4.82%
Q1: 1.65%
BABA: 1.02%
Min: -8.71%

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
ROE (TTM)	24.29%	9.22%
ROA (TTM)	6.85%	2.12%
Net Margin (TTM)	12.22%	10.12%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.14%	1.02%
Gross Margin (TTM)	50.60%	39.81%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth Metrics

Revenue growth metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	12.38%	2.74%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.73%	5.62%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth Metrics

EPS growth metrics for Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
EPS Growth (YoY)	29.66%	-17.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	17.05%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 1.18 and Alibaba (BABA) at 1.28 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.18

Max: 2.97
Q3: 1.87
Median: 1.38
AMZN: 1.18
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.46

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.28

Max: 2.97
Q3: 1.87
Median: 1.38
BABA: 1.28
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.46

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 0.53 and Alibaba (BABA) at 0.25 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

0.53

Max: 3.37
Q3: 1.84
Median: 1.10
Q1: 0.72
AMZN: 0.53
Min: 0.01

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.25

Max: 3.37
Q3: 1.84
Median: 1.10
Q1: 0.72
BABA: 0.25
Min: 0.01

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.18	1.28
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.53	0.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.59	-0.32

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 6.02%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 4.96%
Q3: 2.27%
AMZN: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.02%

BABA: 6.02%
Max: 4.96%
Q3: 2.27%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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 17.12%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 78.51%
Q3: 33.07%
AMZN: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

17.12%

Max: 78.51%
Q3: 33.07%
BABA: 17.12%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	6.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	17.12%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 29.93 and Alibaba (BABA) at 18.58 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

29.93

Max: 56.90
Q3: 32.22
AMZN: 29.93
Median: 20.74
Q1: 12.48
Min: 1.05

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

18.58

Max: 56.90
Q3: 32.22
Median: 20.74
BABA: 18.58
Q1: 12.48
Min: 1.05

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 0.28 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Amazon.com (AMZN) at 3.59 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.59

Max: 3.96
AMZN: 3.59
Q3: 1.87
Median: 0.81
Q1: 0.30
Min: 0.03

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.28

Max: 3.96
Q3: 1.87
Median: 0.81
Q1: 0.30
BABA: 0.28
Min: 0.03

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)

On P/B ratio, both Amazon.com (AMZN) at 6.02 and Alibaba (BABA) at 1.75 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AMZN

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.02

Max: 12.94
Q3: 6.11
AMZN: 6.02
Median: 2.35
Q1: 1.20
Min: -4.14

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.75

Max: 12.94
Q3: 6.11
Median: 2.35
BABA: 1.75
Q1: 1.20
Min: -4.14

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)
Metric	AMZN	BABA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	29.93	18.58
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.59	0.28
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.02	1.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.37%	-15.59%