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BABA vs. FIVE: Alibaba vs. Five Below Stock Comparison

How do Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) both fall under the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group, but BABA is classified in Broadline Retail while FIVE is classified in Specialty Retail.

Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE)
Profile ItemBABAFIVE
NameAlibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADRFive Below, Inc.
Country/RegionChinaUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Discretionary Distribution & RetailConsumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryBroadline RetailSpecialty Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryBroadline RetailOther Specialty Retail
Market Capitalization272.28 billion USD13.23 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateSeptember 19, 2014July 19, 2012
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BABA
FIVE
GSPC
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE), 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 Five Below (FIVE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Total Return (1Y)-35.96%65.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)10.68%12.84%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-6.88%3.41%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BABA
FIVE
GSPC
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE), 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 Five Below (FIVE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.95%39.34%
Beta (5Y)0.390.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)-62.51%-74.52%
Avg. Volume (3M)10.02M1.03M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BABA and FIVE 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 Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.981.57
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.482.33

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Five Below (FIVE) at 28.25% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Alibaba (BABA) at 6.36% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ 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%

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

28.25%

Max
62.17%
Q3
29.44%
FIVE
28.25%
Median
15.69%
Q1
6.73%
Min
-12.16%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Five Below (FIVE) at 11.65% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alibaba (BABA) at 7.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

11.65%

Max
16.94%
FIVE
11.65%
Q3
8.69%
Median
3.55%
Q1
1.14%
Min
-9.41%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): 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 Five Below (FIVE) at 8.86% 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%

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

8.86%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
FIVE
8.86%
Median
5.57%
Q1
2.28%
Min
-7.12%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
ROE (TTM)6.36%28.25%
ROA (TTM)1.56%7.84%
Net Margin (TTM)7.04%11.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)7.30%8.86%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.20%37.58%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Five Below (FIVE) at 22.90% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Alibaba (BABA) at 2.74% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for FIVE.

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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Five Below (FIVE) at 40.65% 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 FIVE.

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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.74%22.90%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%15.70%
EPS Growth (YoY)-17.91%40.65%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)17.05%11.32%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.36 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Five Below (FIVE) at 2.22 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.22

Max
2.62
FIVE
2.22
Q3
1.75
Median
1.35
Q1
1.00
Min
0.48
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): 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 industry quartile, while Five Below (FIVE) at 0.82 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.82

Max
3.93
Q3
2.14
Median
1.25
FIVE
0.82
Q1
0.73
Min
0.01
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): 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 Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.362.22
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.240.82
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.201.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Five Below (FIVE) 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%

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
5.84%
Q3
2.50%
FIVE
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Five Below (FIVE) 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%

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
72.73%
Q3
32.44%
FIVE
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
Dividend Yield (TTM)6.70%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.44%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Five Below (FIVE) at 21.53 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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

21.53

Max
40.50
Q3
24.26
FIVE
21.53
Median
19.23
Q1
12.64
Min
4.67
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): 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 Five Below (FIVE) at 2.49 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.49

Max
4.32
FIVE
2.49
Q3
1.99
Median
0.70
Q1
0.26
Min
0.03
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): 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 Five Below (FIVE) at 5.34 carries an above-peer premium to book — FIVE 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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

5.34

Max
10.96
FIVE
5.34
Q3
5.26
Median
2.16
Q1
1.08
Min
-4.45
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Five Below (FIVE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Five Below (FIVE)
MetricBABAFIVE
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.5021.53
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.262.49
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.635.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-30.35%2.78%