BABA stock was trading at $78.39-2.60 as of 12:06 PM EDT on Thursday.
Alibaba stock (NYSE:BABA) fell on Thursday as investment firm Citi revised its forecasts for the Chinese tech behemoth, noting that although the company has increased operational effectiveness, weaker consumption due to an increase in COVID-19 cases and related lockdowns may hurt sales.
BABA stock analysis
Analyst Alicia Yap tweaked her estimates for FY23, cutting revenue estimates by 0.6%, and yet raising non-GAAP profit by 15.2%. She has a “buy” rating on Alibaba (NYSE:BABA). “The variations in [fiscal second-quarter revenue] principally reflect decreased CMR and other retail revenues offset by higher local services and cloud revenues,” Yap wrote in a note to clients.
BABA earnings outlook
Yap also decreased revenue expectations for fiscal 2024 and 2025 by 0.2% each year while raising non-GAAP profit estimates by 3% and 2.2%, respectively. Alibaba stock slid more than 2% to 79.14 in premarket trade. Yap said that although they were cautious about a second-half recovery, the management team of Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) noted trends had improved from June on its first-quarter earnings call.
Baba Stock Rises As It Attracts Investor Interest: Explained
Yap explained that the Covid-19 lockdowns in Shenzhen and Chengdu towards the end of August make BABA’s conservative tone flexible. She further explained that the company was enhancing its shopping recommendations to improve the delivery experience and allow a deepening of its share of high-spending consumer wallets.
As the company navigates “various industry challenges,” cloud revenue is anticipated to continue to drop to just 4% year-over-year growth from 10% in the first quarter. Last week, Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) stated it would invest up to $1 billion over the next three years “for a worldwide partner ecosystem update” and to provide support to its cloud computing customers in an effort to accelerate growth.
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Author Jowi Kwasu