Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-08-08 10:58Group 1: Core Insights - The focus of the Q2 2025 earnings season is whether the profit downgrades for consumer internet companies (Alibaba, Meituan, Pinduoduo, Ctrip) have ended, which will influence investor decisions between digital entertainment leaders and consumer internet stocks [1][2] - Over the past three months, consumer internet stocks have seen an average price decline of 5%, while digital entertainment leaders have experienced a 31% increase, driven by intense competition and investment in the consumer internet sector [1][2] - Morgan Stanley's current preferred stocks in the industry are Tencent Music (TME), Kuaishou, Alibaba, Ctrip, and Tencent [1] Group 2: Investment Trends - There is no conclusive evidence that profit downgrades for consumer internet companies have ended, but Morgan Stanley believes selectively shifting from digital entertainment to consumer internet offers a favorable risk-reward ratio [2][3] - The investment intensity in the takeaway and instant retail sectors is expected to peak in Q3 2025, with a gradual easing of investment thereafter [4] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Alibaba holds a competitive advantage in the market, while Meituan faces pressure due to a significant disparity in financial strength [5] - Meituan is projected to capture approximately 80% of industry revenue and 99% of industry profits in 2024, but new competition may lead to a decline in its revenue and profit share [5] Group 4: Stock Price Drivers - The narrative driving stock prices for some internet companies has shifted this year, with Alibaba focusing on cloud computing and AI, and Tencent Music transitioning to an ARPU-driven model [6] - Alibaba's cloud business is expected to be a core driver of revenue growth in the second half of 2025 [6] Group 5: AI Capital Expenditure - AI capital expenditure growth is expected to slow down but remain high, with Tencent's AI-related capital expenditure projected to increase by 152% in 2024, followed by a decrease to 25% and 20% in 2025 and 2026, respectively [7][10] - Alibaba plans to invest at least 380 billion yuan over three years starting March 2025, with AI capital expenditure expected to account for 65% of its total capital expenditure in the 2026 fiscal year [10] Group 6: Earnings Outlook - The investment intensity in takeaway and instant retail has peaked, with a 20% average downgrade in profit expectations for consumer internet companies over the past three months [12] - Major companies are expected to report varying earnings, with Tencent projected to have total revenue of 182 billion yuan and Alibaba expected to report 248 billion yuan [13][16] Group 7: Valuation and Market Sentiment - Despite a 20% downgrade in profit expectations for consumer internet companies, their average stock price has only declined by 4%, indicating potential for valuation recovery if profit downgrades have indeed bottomed out [17] - The digital entertainment sector has seen a 66% average stock price increase year-to-date, despite only a 3% upward adjustment in profit expectations, suggesting that short-term preferences are driving market behavior [17]