ZACKSยท2025-09-22 18:15Core Insights - Alibaba's cloud computing unit experienced a significant growth of 26% year-over-year in Q1 of fiscal 2026, reflecting strong enterprise adoption of its AI models [1][9] - The company is making substantial investments in AI infrastructure, which has led to increased capital expenditures and cash outflows, positioning it to benefit from the growing AI market [2][9] - Recent innovations in Alibaba's AI model portfolio, including the open-sourcing of Wan2.2-Animate and the release of Tongyi DeepResearch, are enhancing its AI ecosystem [3][4] Financial Performance - The cloud division's growth is attributed to technological advancements and strategic partnerships, such as collaboration with S&P Global to provide AI-ready datasets [4] - Despite the strong growth, the company faces challenges in maintaining profitability due to price reductions in AI infrastructure aimed at user acquisition [5] - Alibaba's shares have gained 94.2% year-to-date, outperforming the broader Internet-Commerce industry, which grew by 14.9% [9][10] Competitive Landscape - While Alibaba's cloud growth is notable, global competitors like Microsoft and Amazon have significant advantages, with Microsoft Azure achieving 39% growth and Amazon Web Services at 17.5% [7] - Microsoft and Amazon have deeper capital resources and established enterprise relationships, which pose challenges for Alibaba's international expansion efforts [7] Valuation and Estimates - Alibaba's stock is currently trading at a forward Price/Earnings ratio of 17.41X, compared to the industry's 25.33X, indicating a potential undervaluation [13] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is $8.09 per share, reflecting a 10.21% year-over-year decline [16]