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BABA vs. W: Alibaba vs. Wayfair Stock Comparison

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

Wayfair (W) 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 Wayfair (W)
Profile ItemBABAW
NameAlibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADRWayfair Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionChinaUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Discretionary Distribution & RetailConsumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryBroadline RetailSpecialty Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryBroadline RetailHomefurnishing Retail
Market Capitalization272.28 billion USD15.29 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateSeptember 19, 2014October 2, 2014
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BABA
W
GSPC
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W), 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 Wayfair (W). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Total Return (1Y)-35.96%11.13%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)10.68%40.48%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-6.88%-13.87%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Wayfair (W) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.07, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Alibaba (BABA) is defensive at 0.39 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Risk profile metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.95%69.34%
Beta (5Y)0.393.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-62.51%-91.36%
Avg. Volume (3M)10.02M2.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BABA and W 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 Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.980.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.480.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Alibaba (BABA) earns 6.36% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Wayfair (W) has no ROE this period.

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%

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

--

Max
62.17%
Q3
29.44%
Median
15.69%
Q1
6.73%
Min
-12.16%
W
--
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): W does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; BABA is benchmarked against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wayfair (W) reports a negative net margin of -1.21%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports 7.04%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

-1.21%

Max
16.94%
Q3
8.69%
Median
3.55%
Q1
1.14%
W
-1.21%
Min
-9.41%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): 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 Wayfair (W) at 3.10% 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%

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.10%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
Median
5.57%
W
3.10%
Q1
2.28%
Min
-7.12%
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
ROE (TTM)6.36%--
ROA (TTM)1.56%5.86%
Net Margin (TTM)7.04%-1.21%
Operating Margin (TTM)7.30%3.10%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.20%29.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 2.74% and Wayfair (W) at 5.11% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Alibaba (BABA) reports EPS growth of -17.91%, ranked against its industry; Wayfair (W) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.74%5.11%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%0.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)-17.91%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)17.05%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.36 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Wayfair (W) at 0.67 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for W.

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

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.67

Max
2.62
Q3
1.75
Median
1.35
Q1
1.00
W
0.67
Min
0.48
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Alibaba (BABA) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24 against its industry range, while Wayfair (W) reports no figure this period.

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

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

--

Max
3.93
Q3
2.14
Median
1.25
Q1
0.73
Min
0.01
W
--
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): W does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; BABA is benchmarked against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.360.67
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.24--
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.206.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Wayfair (W) 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%

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Wayfair (W) 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%

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
Dividend Yield (TTM)6.70%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.44%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Alibaba (BABA) trades at 26.50 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Wayfair (W) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

--

Max
40.50
Q3
24.26
Median
19.23
Q1
12.64
Min
4.67
W
--
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): W does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; BABA is benchmarked against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.26 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Wayfair (W) at 1.16 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

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.16

Max
4.32
Q3
1.99
W
1.16
Median
0.70
Q1
0.26
Min
0.03
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Wayfair (W) reports a negative P/B ratio of -5.43, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports 1.63, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

W

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

-5.43

Max
10.96
Q3
5.26
Median
2.16
Q1
1.08
Min
-4.45
W
-5.43
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Alibaba (BABA) vs. Wayfair (W): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Wayfair (W)
MetricBABAW
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.50--
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.261.16
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.63-5.43
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-30.35%3.12%