BABA vs. BURL: Alibaba vs. Burlington Stores Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL) 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

Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL) both fall under the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group, but BABA is classified in Broadline Retail while BURL is classified in Specialty Retail.

Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Profile Item	BABA	BURL
Name	Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR	Burlington Stores Inc.
Country/Region	China	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Broadline Retail	Specialty Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Broadline Retail	Apparel Retail
Market Capitalization	272.28 billion USD	15.50 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	September 19, 2014	October 2, 2013
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BABA

BURL

GSPC

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL), 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 Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Total Return (1Y)	-35.96%	-9.83%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	10.68%	24.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.88%	-3.29%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BABA

BURL

GSPC

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL), 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 Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Burlington Stores (BURL) has an aggressive beta of 1.48, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Alibaba (BABA) is defensive at 0.39 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	40.95%	41.03%
Beta (5Y)	0.39	1.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-62.51%	-63.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	10.02M	1.46M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BABA and BURL 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 Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.98	-0.34
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.48	-0.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Burlington Stores (BURL) at 41.41% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Alibaba (BABA) at 6.36% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in returns on equity.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.36%

Max: 62.17%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
BABA: 6.36%
Min: -12.16%

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

41.41%

Max: 62.17%
BURL: 41.41%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
Min: -12.16%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 7.04% and Burlington Stores (BURL) at 5.85% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.04%

Max: 16.94%
Q3: 8.69%
BABA: 7.04%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

5.85%

Max: 16.94%
Q3: 8.69%
BURL: 5.85%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 7.30% and Burlington Stores (BURL) at 6.72% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.30%

Max: 21.45%
Q3: 10.89%
BABA: 7.30%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.72%

Max: 21.45%
Q3: 10.89%
BURL: 6.72%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
ROE (TTM)	6.36%	41.41%
ROA (TTM)	1.56%	6.15%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.04%	5.85%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.30%	6.72%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.20%	44.08%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 2.74% and Burlington Stores (BURL) at 8.76% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Burlington Stores (BURL) at 21.92% 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 BURL.

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.74%	8.76%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.62%	9.95%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-17.91%	21.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.05%	39.67%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 1.36 and Burlington Stores (BURL) at 1.17 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
BABA: 1.36
Median: 1.35
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.17

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
Median: 1.35
BURL: 1.17
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.24 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Burlington Stores (BURL) at 2.95 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.24

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
BABA: 0.24
Min: 0.01

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.95

Max: 3.93
BURL: 2.95
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.01

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	1.17
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.24	2.95
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.20	3.82

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 6.70%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.70%

BABA: 6.70%
Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
BURL: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Burlington Stores (BURL) 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.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

25.44%

Max: 72.73%
Q3: 32.44%
BABA: 25.44%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 72.73%
Q3: 32.44%
BURL: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	6.70%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.44%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Burlington Stores (BURL) at 22.17 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Alibaba (BABA) at 26.50 sits in the richer quartile — BABA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

26.50

Max: 40.50
BABA: 26.50
Q3: 24.26
Median: 19.23
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

22.17

Max: 40.50
Q3: 24.26
BURL: 22.17
Median: 19.23
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): 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 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Burlington Stores (BURL) at 1.27 prices around its industry’s middle — BABA costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.26

Max: 4.32
Q3: 1.99
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
BABA: 0.26
Min: 0.03

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.27

Max: 4.32
Q3: 1.99
BURL: 1.27
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.03

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.63 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Burlington Stores (BURL) at 7.74 carries an above-peer premium to book — BURL is pricier on assets.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.63

Max: 10.96
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
BABA: 1.63
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.74

Max: 10.96
BURL: 7.74
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Burlington Stores (BURL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Burlington Stores (BURL)
Metric	BABA	BURL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.50	22.17
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.26	1.27
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.63	7.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-30.35%	0.69%