Alibaba (BABA) Tops Q4 EPS by 5c; Appoints New CEO

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) reported Q4 EPS of $0.48, $0.05 better than the analyst estimate of $0.43. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.81 billion versus the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion.

“Alibaba had a strong quarter with significant growth across our key operating metrics,” said Jonathan Lu, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group. “We grew revenue, gross merchandise volume and annual active buyers, and we expanded our unrivaled leadership position in mobile.” Lu continued, “GMV across our China retail marketplaces grew 40% year-on-year, and our annual active buyers increased to 350 million, an increase of 37% year-on-year. We extended our strong leadership position in mobile to 289 million monthly active users on our mobile e-commerce apps in the month of March and US$49 billion in mobile GMV during the March quarter. Our business continues to perform well, and our results highlight both the strength of our ecosystem and the strong foundation we have for sustainable future growth in China, and beyond.”

“Alibaba performed very well, growing revenue 45% year-on-year,” said Maggie Wu, Chief Financial Officer of Alibaba Group. “We continue to execute our growth strategy and focus on long-term value creation. The fundamental strength of our business gives us the confidence to invest in new initiatives, add new users, improve customer experience and expand our products and services.”

GMV – GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces in the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was RMB600 billion (US$97 billion), an increase of 40% compared to the same quarter of 2014. GMV transacted on Taobao Marketplace in the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was RMB381 billion (US$61 billion), an increase of 29% compared to the same quarter of 2014. GMV transacted on Tmall in the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was RMB219 billion (US$35 billion), an increase of 62% compared to the same quarter of 2014. The growth of total GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces was primarily driven by an increase in the number of active buyers.

Annual active buyers – Our China retail marketplaces had 350 million annual active buyers in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015, compared to 334 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, representing a net addition of 16 million in annual active buyers, and compared to 255 million in the twelve months ended March 31, 2014, representing an increase of 37% compared to the same period in 2014. The growth in annual active buyers was driven by an increase in users accessing our platforms through mobile devices, which in turn was a result of our continuing efforts to attract users with strong commercial intent to our mobile e-commerce apps, especially our Mobile Taobao App, and convert them into active buyers with our effective mobile interface. Our active buyers increased throughout China, with continued faster growth from lower tier cities.

New CEO:

Alibaba Group also announced that Daniel Zhang, currently Chief Operating Officer of Alibaba Group, will become CEO of Alibaba Group, effective May 10, 2015.

Current CEO, Jonathan Lu, will work with Daniel to ensure a successful transition in the coming months. Jonathan will remain on the board of directors of Alibaba Group as Vice Chairman. In this capacity Jonathan will play an important role in developing future leaders of Alibaba Group. This role is especially important as Alibaba Group continues to build the necessary talent to enable the company to grow and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

Daniel Zhang has been with the company for eight years and has held top management positions across the organization. He is also one of the founding members of the Alibaba Partnership. Daniel has been Alibaba’s chief operating officer since September 2013. In his role as COO, Daniel oversaw the operations of all Alibaba Group businesses in China and internationally.

Daniel first joined the company as Chief Financial Officer of Taobao Marketplace in August 2007. In 2008, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Taobao Marketplace and general manager of Taobao Mall. Under Daniel’s leadership, Taobao Mall rapidly became one of Alibaba’s most important businesses and was highly recognized by consumers and brands in China and around the world. In 2011, he was named president when it first became an independent business unit, Tmall.com, which has become one of world’s largest online B2C platforms. Daniel was also a key architect of the November 11 Shopping Festival, and led it to become the world’s largest online shopping event.

Director Appointment:

Alibaba Group also announced the appointment of Börje Ekholm to the Alibaba Group Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2015. Mr. Ekholm will serve as an independent director of Alibaba Group’s Board, and he will also serve as a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Ekholm brings extensive experience in the areas of business, finance, corporate governance, and technology. Mr. Ekholm currently serves as President and CEO of Investor AB of Sweden and is a member of Investor AB’s board of directors. From May 13, 2015 he will assume new responsibilities as head of Patricia Industries, a newly created division of Investor AB to manage the company’s privately-held and controlled companies. He is the non-executive Chairman of NASDAQ OMX and serves on the boards of global technology companies such as Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Mr. Ekholm’s successful track record in European and American business, as well as his experience working with entrepreneurial companies, will bring critical insights and contributions to Alibaba Group’s growth and international strategy. With the appointment of Mr. Ekholm, Alibaba Group’s board will increase to 10 members.

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