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Alibaba Group HoldingBABACOMMENTMay 21, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 18, 2026. Market Open.
Yesterday, China did a smart thing by cutting their federal funds rate by 50 basis points. This is gigantic and has impact, by making their economy--and stocks--stronger. Also, he suggests they reign in their real estate industry. China has to do something to revive its economy. Also, both US candidates in this election year will bash China. Given all this, he's changed his mind about Chinese stocks and recommends Baidu, Alibaba, Pinduoduo and JD.com. They are very cheap and are real businesses. Also, they are recognized internationally. No, he won't buy them, because he doesn't trade, but if he did trade, he would.
He added more shares of BABA today. It's an underrated grower at a reasonable price. It's a turnaround story reflecting the revival of the Chinese consumer. They dominant e-commerce in China, their cloud business is overlooked and cash flow yield is in the mid-teens. Trades at a 30% discount to its historic average.
He bought it because tensions eased between Beijing and the Chinese tech companies and that BABA would spin off parts of its business. But that latter got stuck in red tape. The overall business continues to thrive. Earnings are growing 18%. Trades at a low 9x PE, and likes that. It remains the dominant e-player in China, their Amazon, and gen-AI will help grow their cloud business. The market has soured on all Chinese stocks given geopolitical tensions, and the Chinese reopening has been slower than expected.
He just sold it. He thinks shares are popping today, because BABA will spin off one of their companies, not so much this report. He bought it at 8x earnings. He sold to manage his portfolio and feels that China's Premier is off the rails, not making good decisions like blockading Taiwan.
Some of the recent concerns are that they are getting sued by places like Gucci, etc., for presumably knowing that some of the goods are being sold that are counterfeit. Valuations are actually not too bad, and their growth characteristics are quite incredible going forward, but treat this was some caution.