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Alibaba Vs Baidu: Which Chinese Tech Stock is the Better Buy Now?
In a swing of events, investor sentiment has shifted toward Chinese tech stocks in recent weeks, with Alibaba (BABA - Free Report) and Baidu (BIDU - Free Report) standing out in particular. This shift comes as a downturn in U.S. equities has been attributed to President Trump's tariffs, which have been aimed at traditional trade allies such as Canada and Mexico, outside of adversaries like China.
Boosting and providing an edge to Alibaba and Baidu, is there artificial intelligence expansion, which has gained steam and notoriety following the announcement of China-based DeepSeek’s advancement in AI at a more affordable cost.
AI Models
With DeepSeek being a private company, Alibaba has taken the show in public markets by unveiling its new AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B. Like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , Alibaba’s AI expansion is another bid to boost its market dominance with both having diversified business endeavors outside of e-commerce.
Similarly, Baidu has leveraged its AI efforts as the largest search engine provider in China, a step that Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) is swiftly perusing in the U.S. Notably, Baidu will be launching an upgraded version of its AI assistant, “Ernie” this month, which is similar to Alphabet’s Google Gemini.
Recent Performance Comparison to U.S. Counterparts
Echoing the swoon in investor sentiment from U.S. tech stocks to those of China, Alibaba stock has soared over +60% year to date with Baidu shares up a very respectable +12%. In comparison, Amazon and Alphabet shares have fallen 10% and 13%, respectively, with the broader indexes for U.S. markets in negative territory as well.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Outlook Comparison & EPS Revisions
In regards to their outlook, Alibaba’s top line is expected to rise 6% in fiscal 2025 and FY26 with projections edging toward $147 billion in annual sales. Furthermore, Alibaba’s annual earnings are currently slated to increase 2% this year and are projected to spike another 23% in FY26 to $10.83 per share. More intriguing, over the last 30 days, FY25 EPS estimates have risen 1% with FY26 EPS estimates up 6%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Pivoting to Baidu, total sales are slated to increase 1% in FY25 and are forecasted to rise another 4% next year to $19.52 billion. On the bottom line, Baidu’s EPS is expected to be down 9% in FY25 but is projected to rebound and jump 16% in FY26 to $11.17. In the last month, Alibaba’s FY25 and FY26 EPS estimates are up 4%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
BABA & BIDU Valuation Comparison
Despite a very sharp YTD rally to around $140, Alibaba stock still trades at a reasonable 15X forward earnings multiple with Baidu shares at $94 and 9.6X. In comparison, Amazon and Alphabet are at 30.7X and 18.6X forward earnings, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Bottom Line
Although Baidu’s cheaper valuation may stand out more, its stock lands a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) with Alibaba sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Given the trend of positive earnings estimate revisions, both should have more upside with the uptick in FY26 EPS estimates and a more attractive growth trajectory standing out for Alibaba in the wake of its new AI reasoning model.
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Alibaba Vs Baidu: Which Chinese Tech Stock is the Better Buy Now?
In a swing of events, investor sentiment has shifted toward Chinese tech stocks in recent weeks, with Alibaba (BABA - Free Report) and Baidu (BIDU - Free Report) standing out in particular. This shift comes as a downturn in U.S. equities has been attributed to President Trump's tariffs, which have been aimed at traditional trade allies such as Canada and Mexico, outside of adversaries like China.
Boosting and providing an edge to Alibaba and Baidu, is there artificial intelligence expansion, which has gained steam and notoriety following the announcement of China-based DeepSeek’s advancement in AI at a more affordable cost.
AI Models
With DeepSeek being a private company, Alibaba has taken the show in public markets by unveiling its new AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B. Like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , Alibaba’s AI expansion is another bid to boost its market dominance with both having diversified business endeavors outside of e-commerce.
Similarly, Baidu has leveraged its AI efforts as the largest search engine provider in China, a step that Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) is swiftly perusing in the U.S. Notably, Baidu will be launching an upgraded version of its AI assistant, “Ernie” this month, which is similar to Alphabet’s Google Gemini.
Recent Performance Comparison to U.S. Counterparts
Echoing the swoon in investor sentiment from U.S. tech stocks to those of China, Alibaba stock has soared over +60% year to date with Baidu shares up a very respectable +12%. In comparison, Amazon and Alphabet shares have fallen 10% and 13%, respectively, with the broader indexes for U.S. markets in negative territory as well.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Outlook Comparison & EPS Revisions
In regards to their outlook, Alibaba’s top line is expected to rise 6% in fiscal 2025 and FY26 with projections edging toward $147 billion in annual sales. Furthermore, Alibaba’s annual earnings are currently slated to increase 2% this year and are projected to spike another 23% in FY26 to $10.83 per share. More intriguing, over the last 30 days, FY25 EPS estimates have risen 1% with FY26 EPS estimates up 6%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Pivoting to Baidu, total sales are slated to increase 1% in FY25 and are forecasted to rise another 4% next year to $19.52 billion. On the bottom line, Baidu’s EPS is expected to be down 9% in FY25 but is projected to rebound and jump 16% in FY26 to $11.17. In the last month, Alibaba’s FY25 and FY26 EPS estimates are up 4%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
BABA & BIDU Valuation Comparison
Despite a very sharp YTD rally to around $140, Alibaba stock still trades at a reasonable 15X forward earnings multiple with Baidu shares at $94 and 9.6X. In comparison, Amazon and Alphabet are at 30.7X and 18.6X forward earnings, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Bottom Line
Although Baidu’s cheaper valuation may stand out more, its stock lands a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) with Alibaba sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Given the trend of positive earnings estimate revisions, both should have more upside with the uptick in FY26 EPS estimates and a more attractive growth trajectory standing out for Alibaba in the wake of its new AI reasoning model.