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6-K 1 tm245446d1_6k.htm FORM 6-K

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 6-K

 

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 Under

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

February 7, 2024

Commission File Number: 001-36614

 

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

(Registrant’s name)

 

26/F Tower One, Times Square

1 Matheson Street

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong S.A.R.

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:

 

Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨

 

 

 

 


 

EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit 99.1 – Press Release – Alibaba Group Announces December Quarter 2023 Results

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED
     
Date: February 7, 2024 By: /s/ Toby Hong XU
  Name: Toby Hong XU
  Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

3

 

EX-99.1 2 tm245446d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

 

Alibaba Group Announces December Quarter 2023 Results

 

Hangzhou, China, February 7, 2024 – Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA and HKEX: 9988 (HKD Counter) and 89988 (RMB Counter), “Alibaba” or “Alibaba Group”) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

 

“We delivered a solid quarter as we are executing our focused strategies across the organization. Our top priority is to reignite the growth of our core businesses, e-commerce and cloud computing. We will step up investment to improve users’ core experiences to drive growth in Taobao and Tmall Group and strengthen market leadership in the coming year. We will also focus our resources on developing public cloud products and sustaining the strong growth momentum in international commerce business,” said Eddie Wu, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group.

 

“Alibaba Group delivered a healthy quarter with revenue growth of 5% year-over-year. We increased our investment in strategic priorities and improved shareholder return by leveraging our strong balance sheet and cash flow. Our board of directors approved an increase of US$25 billion to our share repurchase program, demonstrating our confidence in the outlook of our business and cash flow. Our consistent share repurchase has also reduced outstanding share count while achieving EPS and cash flow per share accretion,” said Toby Xu, Chief Financial Officer of Alibaba Group.

 

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

 

In the quarter ended December 31, 2023:

 

· Revenue was RMB260,348 million (US$36,669 million), an increase of 5% year-over-year.

 

· Income from operations was RMB22,511 million (US$3,171 million), a decrease of 36% year-over-year. The year-over-year decrease was primarily attributable to impairment of intangible assets of Sun Art and impairment of goodwill of Youku. Adjusted EBITA, a non-GAAP measurement (excluding share-based compensation expense, impairment of intangible assets and goodwill and certain other items), increased 2% year-over-year to RMB52,843 million (US$7,443 million).

 

· Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB14,433 million (US$2,033 million). Net income was RMB10,717 million (US$1,509 million), a decrease of 77% or RMB35,029 million year-over-year, primarily attributable to mark-to-market changes from our equity investments and the decrease in income from operations due to the impairment as mentioned above. Excluding share-based compensation expense, gains/losses of investments, impairment of intangible assets and goodwill, and certain other items, non-GAAP net income in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB47,951 million (US$6,754 million), a decrease of 4% compared to RMB49,932 million in the same quarter of 2022.

 

· Diluted earnings per ADS was RMB5.65 (US$0.80) and diluted earnings per share was RMB0.71 (US$0.10 or HK$0.78). Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS was RMB18.97 (US$2.67), a decrease of 2% year-over-year and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was RMB2.37 (US$0.33 or HK$2.62), a decrease of 2% year-over-year.

 

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· Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB64,716 million (US$9,115 million), a decrease of 26% compared to RMB87,370 million in the same quarter of 2022. Free cash flow, a non-GAAP measurement of liquidity, was RMB56,540 million (US$7,963 million), a decrease of 31% compared to RMB81,514 million in the same quarter of 2022. The decrease in free cash flow was attributed to increased capex and several one-time factors including timing of income tax payments and working capital changes related to several of our businesses.

 

BUSINESS AND STRATEGIC UPDATES

 

Taobao and Tmall Group

 

We are in the process of revitalizing Taobao and Tmall Group and positioning it for future growth. Our growth strategy is to put users first, build ecosystem for brands and merchants to thrive on our platform, and realize technology-driven innovation. We are committed to building an e-commerce ecosystem where brands, merchants and manufacturers operate with high efficiency, thereby providing multi-tiered Chinese consumers with good products and services at attractive prices. In December 2023, we appointed a new management team to execute Taobao and Tmall Group’s strategy and drive business growth through technological innovation.

 

For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue from Taobao and Tmall Group was RMB129,070 million (US$18,179 million), a growth of 2% year-over-year. During the quarter, online GMV achieved healthy growth year-over-year, with the number of transacting buyers and order volume growing strongly, partly offset by decrease in average order value. Under our user engagement and price-competitive strategies, we continued to increase interactive content and broaden the assortment of value-for-money products. Additionally, we continued our efforts to onboard a wider range of brands and merchants. The number of merchants operating on our platform during the quarter continued to grow at double digits year-over-year, and this double-digit growth trend has sustained over the past four quarters.

 

Following a successful 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, order volume grew double digits year-over-year during the second half of the quarter. This reflected increasing consumer demand and willingness to make purchases on our platform driven by our price-competitive strategy.

 

On the other hand, we have been successful in retaining and growing premium shoppers as the number of 88VIP members continued to increase double digits year-over-year, surpassing 32 million.

 

Cloud Intelligence Group

 

For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue from Cloud Intelligence Group was RMB28,066 million (US$3,953 million), a growth of 3% year-over-year. We continue to improve revenue quality by reducing the revenue from low-margin project-based contracts. On the other hand, revenue from public cloud products and services grew healthily which contributed to profitability improvement.

 

Recent highlights of our proprietary products and technology include:

 

· Elastic Compute: In January 2024, Alibaba Cloud unveiled its newest general-purpose ECS instance g8i, which significantly boosts overall performance and AI inferencing capabilities.

 

· Database: In the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud Database Management Systems report, Alibaba Cloud was named a Leader for the fourth year in a row.

 

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Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (“AIDC”)

 

For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue from AIDC grew 44% year-over-year to RMB28,516 million (US$4,016 million), and the combined orders of AIDC grew 24% year-over-year. The strong performance was driven by solid growth across all of AIDC’s retail platforms, especially from the cross-border AliExpress Choice business. Our cross-border businesses exhibited rapid year-over-year growth in response to increasing global demand for high-quality products at attractive prices. To sustain this momentum and provide differentiated services to customers, we increased investments during this quarter and will continue to invest in further growth.

 

During the quarter, AliExpress delivered over 60% year-over-year order growth, driven by Choice, which provides an enhanced experience to consumers by combining better product selection, price and quality with speed of logistics and great customer support. Choice represented about half of AliExpress’ total orders in January 2024 and continues to deliver rapid order growth.

 

During the quarter, Trendyol continued its robust double-digit order growth. While maintaining its leading e-commerce position in Türkiye, Trendyol has further extended its operations into the Middle East with a wide range of merchandise as well as speedy and reliable logistics experience.

 

Lazada continues to focus on optimizing its operating efficiency. With further increased monetization and decreased logistics costs, Lazada’s loss per order continued to narrow year-over-year during the quarter.

 

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited (“Cainiao”)

 

For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue from Cainiao grew 24% year-over-year to RMB28,476 million (US$4,011 million), primarily driven by revenue from cross-border fulfillment solutions.

 

Cainiao continues to execute its strategy of building a global smart logistics network, reinforcing comprehensive end-to-end capabilities in first-mile pick-up, line haul, customs clearance, sortation, and last-mile delivery. To support cross-border business development, with the upgrade of end-to-end capabilities, Cainiao further expanded its premium 5-day delivery service coverage, adding two more countries during the quarter. The order volume for the premium 5-day delivery service achieved robust triple-digit quarter-over-quarter growth.

 

Local Services Group

 

For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue from Local Services Group grew 13% year-over-year to RMB15,160 million (US$2,135 million), driven by healthy growth of Ele.me and rapid growth of Amap. During this quarter, order growth of Local Services Group exceeded 20% year-over-year. Local Services Group’s annual active consumers reached over 390 million and their annual purchasing frequency grew strongly year-over-year for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. For this quarter, its losses continued to narrow driven by improving business scale and efficiency.

 

Digital Media and Entertainment Group

 

During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, revenue of Digital Media and Entertainment Group was RMB5,040 million (US$710 million), an increase of 18% year-over-year, driven by strong revenue growth of offline entertainment businesses of Alibaba Pictures. During the quarter, Damai, a subsidiary of Alibaba Pictures, consolidated its industry-leading position by servicing almost all the major concerts in China, which contributed to rapid GMV growth year-over-year. Total box office of movies produced, promoted and distributed by Alibaba Pictures’ movie segment accounted for more than half of China’s total box office during the quarter.

 

3


 

Updates on ESG Initiatives

 

Progress in Decarbonization

 

We continue to accelerate our transition to clean energy. In November 2023, Bloomberg New Energy Finance released the “China's Top Clean Energy Buyers and Sellers in 2023.” Alibaba Group, with a green electricity transaction volume of 1,610 gigawatt-hours, became the national leader for green electricity procurement for the first time.

 

In November 2023, Alibaba Group was the first Asian Internet technology company to join the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a group of over 200 businesses, to support WBCSD’s drive to make global value chains more sustainable. At COP28, Alibaba Group together with WBCSD and other corporate members, advocated for “Scope 3+” carbon reduction actions by promoting the "Guidance on Avoided Emissions" report.

 

Upsize of Share Repurchase Program

 

As previously announced, during the quarter ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased a total of 292.7 million ordinary shares (equivalent of 36.6 million ADSs) for a total of US$2.9 billion, and a total of 897.9 million ordinary shares (equivalent of 112.2 million ADSs) for a total of US$9.5 billion during the 2023 calendar year. As of December 31, 2023, we had 20.0 billion ordinary shares (equivalent of 2.5 billion ADSs) outstanding. Our share repurchase program resulted in a net reduction of 3.3% in our outstanding shares in the 2023 calendar year after accounting for shares issued under our ESOP.

 

Our board of directors has approved an increase of US$25 billion to our share repurchase program through the end of March 2027. Following this upsize, we currently have US$35.3 billion available under our share repurchase program through the next three fiscal years. We have undertaken to update investors on our share repurchases immediately after the end of each quarter with the next update expected to be published in early April.

 

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DECEMBER QUARTER SUMMARY FINANCIAL RESULTS

 

    Three months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023     YoY %  
    RMB     RMB     US$     Change  
                         
    (in millions, except percentages and per share amounts)  
Revenue     247,756       260,348       36,669       5 %
                                 
Income from operations     35,031       22,511       3,171       (36 )%(2)
Operating margin     14 %     9 %                
Adjusted EBITDA(1)     59,162       59,572       8,391       1 %(3)
Adjusted EBITDA margin(1)     24 %     23 %                
Adjusted EBITA(1)     52,048       52,843       7,443       2 %(3)
Adjusted EBITA margin(1)     21 %     20 %                
                                 
Net income     45,746       10,717       1,509       (77 )%(4)
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders     46,815       14,433       2,033       (69 )%(4)
Non-GAAP net income(1)     49,932       47,951       6,754       (4 )%(4)
                                 
Diluted earnings per share(5)     2.24       0.71       0.10       (68 )%(4)(6)
Diluted earnings per ADS(5)     17.91       5.65       0.80       (68 )%(4)(6)
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share(1)(5)     2.41       2.37       0.33       (2 )%(4)(6)
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS(1)(5)     19.26       18.97       2.67       (2 )%(4)(6)

 

 

(1) See the sections entitled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures” for more information about the non-GAAP measures referred to within this results announcement.

(2) The year-over-year decrease was primarily attributable to impairment of intangible assets of Sun Art and impairment of goodwill of Youku.

(3) The year-over-year increases were primarily contributed by revenue growth and improved operating efficiency that was partly offset by the increase in investments in certain businesses.

(4) The year-over-year decrease in net income was primarily attributable to mark-to-market changes from our equity investments and the decrease in income from operations due to the impairment as mentioned above. We excluded share-based compensation expense, gains/losses of investments, impairment of intangible assets and goodwill, and certain other items from our non-GAAP measurements.

(5) Each ADS represents eight ordinary shares.

(6) The year-over-year percentages as stated are calculated based on the exact amount and there may be minor differences from the year-over-year percentages calculated based on the RMB amounts after rounding.

 

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DECEMBER QUARTER SEGMENT RESULTS

 

Revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB260,348 million (US$36,669 million), an increase of 5% year-over-year compared to RMB247,756 million in the same quarter of 2022.

 

Starting from the quarter ended June 30, 2023, we have implemented a new organizational structure which includes six major business groups and various other businesses (the “Reorganization”). Our segment reporting has been updated to reflect our Reorganization and how our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) review information under our new structure.

 

The following table sets forth a breakdown of our revenue by segment for the periods indicated(1):

 

    Three months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023     YoY %  
    RMB     RMB     US$     Change  
                         
    (in millions, except percentages)  
Taobao and Tmall Group:                                
China commerce retail                                
 - Customer management     91,694       92,113       12,974       0 %
 - Direct sales and others(2)     31,042       31,649       4,458       2 %
      122,736       123,762       17,432       1 %
China commerce wholesale     4,329       5,308       747       23 %
Total Taobao and Tmall Group     127,065       129,070       18,179       2 %
                                 
Cloud Intelligence Group     27,364       28,066       3,953       3 %
                                 
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group:                                
International commerce retail     14,954       23,260       3,276       56 %
International commerce wholesale     4,870       5,256       740       8 %
Total Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group     19,824       28,516       4,016       44 %
                                 
Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited     23,023       28,476       4,011       24 %
Local Services Group     13,397       15,160       2,135       13 %
Digital Media and Entertainment Group     4,261       5,040       710       18 %
All others(3)     50,334       47,023       6,623       (7 )%
Total segment revenue     265,268       281,351       39,627       6 %
Unallocated     225       374       53          
Inter-segment elimination     (17,737 )     (21,377 )     (3,011 )        
Consolidated revenue     247,756       260,348       36,669       5 %

 

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    Nine months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023     YoY %  
    RMB     RMB     US$     Change  
                         
    (in millions, except percentages)  
Taobao and Tmall Group:                        
China commerce retail                                
 - Customer management     230,996       240,435       33,864       4 %
 - Direct sales and others(2)     78,599       85,715       12,073       9 %
      309,595       326,150       45,937       5 %
China commerce wholesale     13,722       15,527       2,187       13 %
Total Taobao and Tmall Group     323,317       341,677       48,124       6 %
                                 
Cloud Intelligence Group     78,755       80,779       11,377       3 %
                                 
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group:                                
International commerce retail     36,686       59,376       8,363       62 %
International commerce wholesale     14,905       15,774       2,222       6 %
Total Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group     51,591       75,150       10,585       46 %
                                 
Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited     58,597       74,463       10,488       27 %
Local Services Group     37,909       45,174       6,363       19 %
Digital Media and Entertainment Group     13,455       16,200       2,282       20 %
All others(3)     143,812       140,873       19,841       (2 )%
Total segment revenue     707,436       774,316       109,060       9 %
Unallocated     634       900       127          
Inter-segment elimination     (47,583 )     (55,922 )     (7,877 )        
Consolidated revenue     660,487       719,294       101,310       9 %

 

 

(1) During the nine months ended December 31, 2023, our segment reporting has been updated to reflect our Reorganization and the reclassification of the revenue of our DingTalk business, which was previously reported under Cloud Intelligence Group, to All others, the purpose of which was to provide DingTalk with greater autonomy to promote innovation and enhance competitiveness. Our CODM started to review information under this new reporting structure and segment reporting has been updated to conform to this change as well as the way we manage and monitor segment performance. Comparative figures were reclassified to conform to this presentation.

(2) Direct sales and others revenue under Taobao and Tmall Group primarily represents Tmall Supermarket, Tmall Global and other direct sales businesses, where revenue and cost of inventory are recorded on a gross basis.

(3) All others include Sun Art, Freshippo, Alibaba Health, Lingxi Games, Intime, Intelligent Information Platform (which mainly consists of UCWeb and Quark businesses), Fliggy, DingTalk (previously reported under Cloud Intelligence Group segment) and other businesses. The majority of revenue within All others consist of direct sales revenue, which is recorded on a gross basis.

 

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The following table sets forth a breakdown of our adjusted EBITA by segment for the periods indicated(1):

 

    Three months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023     YoY %  
    RMB     RMB     US$    

Change (4)

 
                         
    (in millions, except percentages)  
Taobao and Tmall Group     59,245       59,930       8,441       1 %
Cloud Intelligence Group     1,269       2,364       333       86 %
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group     (645 )     (3,146 )     (443 )     (388 )%
Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited     (12 )     961       135       N/A  
Local Services Group     (2,923 )     (2,068 )     (291 )     29 %
Digital Media and Entertainment Group     (391 )     (517 )     (73 )     (32 )%
All others(2)     (1,698 )     (3,172 )     (447 )     (87 )%
Total segment adjusted EBITA     54,845       54,352       7,655       (1 )%
Unallocated (3)     (2,173 )     (808 )     (114 )        
Inter-segment elimination     (624 )     (701 )     (98 )        
Consolidated adjusted EBITA     52,048       52,843       7,443       2 %
Less: Share-based compensation expense     (8,773 )     (6,222 )     (876 )        
Less: Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     (5,530 )     (14,601 )     (2,056 )        
Less: Impairment of goodwill, and others     (2,714 )     (9,509 )     (1,340 )        
Income from operations     35,031       22,511       3,171       (36 )%

 

    Nine months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023     YoY %  
    RMB     RMB     US$    

Change (4)

 
                         
    (in millions, except percentages)  
Taobao and Tmall Group     150,099       156,326       22,018       4 %
Cloud Intelligence Group     3,114       4,689       660       51 %
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group     (2,773 )     (3,950 )     (556 )     (42 )%
Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited     (72 )     2,744       387       N/A  
Local Services Group     (9,085 )     (6,614 )     (932 )     27 %
Digital Media and Entertainment Group     (1,660 )     (655 )     (92 )     61 %
All others(2)     (7,533 )     (6,342 )     (893 )     16 %
Total segment adjusted EBITA     132,090       146,198       20,592       11 %
Unallocated (3)     (7,779 )     (3,290 )     (463 )        
Inter-segment elimination     (1,680 )     (1,849 )     (261 )        
Consolidated adjusted EBITA     122,631       141,059       19,868       15 %
Less: Share-based compensation expense     (23,285 )     (11,423 )     (1,609 )        
Less: Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     (11,010 )     (19,511 )     (2,748 )        
Less: Impairment of goodwill, and others     (3,225 )     (11,540 )     (1,626 )        
Income from operations     85,111       98,585       13,885       16 %

 

 

(1) During the nine months ended December 31, 2023, our segment reporting has been updated to reflect our Reorganization and the reclassification of the result of our DingTalk business, which was previously reported under Cloud Intelligence Group, to All others, the purpose of which was to provide DingTalk with greater autonomy to promote innovation and enhance competitiveness. Our CODM started to review information under this new reporting structure and segment reporting has been updated to conform to this change as well as the way we manage and monitor segment performance. Comparative figures were reclassified to conform to this presentation.

(2) All others include Sun Art, Freshippo, Alibaba Health, Lingxi Games, Intime, Intelligent Information Platform (which mainly consists of UCWeb and Quark businesses), Fliggy, DingTalk (previously reported under Cloud Intelligence Group segment) and other businesses.

(3) Unallocated primarily relates to certain costs incurred by corporate functions and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

(4) For a more intuitive presentation, widening of loss in YoY% is shown in terms of negative growth rate, and narrowing of loss in YoY% is shown in terms of positive growth rate.

 

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Taobao and Tmall Group

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

· China Commerce Retail Business

 

Revenue from our China commerce retail business in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB123,762 million (US$17,432 million), an increase of 1% compared to RMB122,736 million in the same quarter of 2022.

 

Customer management revenue remained stable year-over-year, primarily due to healthy growth in online GMV generated on Taobao and Tmall, excluding unpaid orders, partly offset by decline in overall take rate. The overall take rate decreased slightly year-over-year mainly because the increase in GMV came from Taobao merchants.

 

Direct sales and others revenue under China commerce retail business in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB31,649 million (US$4,458 million), an increase of 2% compared to RMB31,042 million in the same quarter of 2022.

 

· China Commerce Wholesale Business

 

Revenue from our China commerce wholesale business in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB5,308 million (US$747 million), an increase of 23% compared to RMB4,329 million in the same quarter of 2022,primarily due to an increase in revenue from value-added services provided to paying members.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Taobao and Tmall Group adjusted EBITA increased by 1% to RMB59,930 million (US$8,441 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to RMB59,245 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily due to narrowing losses in certain businesses, partly offset by an increase in investment in content, user acquisition and retention of Taobao app, as well as technological innovation.

 

Cloud Intelligence Group

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

Revenue from Cloud Intelligence Group was RMB28,066 million (US$3,953 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, an increase of 3% compared to RMB27,364 million in the same quarter of 2022. Year-over-year revenue growth was mainly driven by Alibaba-consolidated businesses. Revenue excluding Alibaba-consolidated businesses decreased year-over-year, primarily due to the decrease in revenue from low-margin project-based contracts as a result of continued effort to improve revenue quality. However, revenue from our public cloud products and services experienced healthy year-over-year growth.

 

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(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Cloud Intelligence Group adjusted EBITA increased by 86% to RMB2,364 million (US$333 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to RMB1,269 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily due to improving product mix through our focus on public cloud and operating efficiency.

 

Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

· International Commerce Retail Business

 

Revenue from our International commerce retail business in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB23,260 million (US$3,276 million), an increase of 56% compared to RMB14,954 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase in revenue was primarily due to solid combined order growth of AIDC’s retail businesses driven by the strong performance of all its major retail platforms, the revenue contribution from AliExpress Choice as well as improvements in monetization. As certain of our international businesses generate revenue in local currencies while our reporting currency is Renminbi, AIDC’s revenue is affected by exchange rate fluctuations.

 

· International Commerce Wholesale Business

 

Revenue from our International commerce wholesale business in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB5,256 million (US$740 million), an increase of 8% compared to RMB4,870 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily due to an increase in revenue generated by cross-border related value-added services.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group adjusted EBITA was a loss of RMB3,146 million (US$443 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to a loss of RMB645 million in the same quarter of 2022. Losses increased year-over-year primarily because of increased investment in businesses including AliExpress Choice and Trendyol’s international business, partly offset by improvement in monetization.

 

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

Revenue from Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited was RMB28,476 million (US$4,011 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, an increase of 24% compared to RMB23,023 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily contributed by the increase in revenue from cross-border fulfillment solutions.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited adjusted EBITA was a profit of RMB961 million (US$135 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to a loss of RMB12 million in the same quarter of 2022. The year-over-year increase reflected economies of scale that leads to cost optimization as well as optimized operating expenditure spending. This also reflected Cainiao’s continuous effort in cost optimization in line-haul transportation and last-mile delivery.

 

10


 

Local Services Group

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

Revenue from Local Services Group was RMB15,160 million (US$2,135 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, an increase of 13% compared to RMB13,397 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily due to the order growth of Amap and Ele.me.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Local Services Group adjusted EBITA was a loss of RMB2,068 million (US$291 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to a loss of RMB2,923 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily due to the continued narrowing of loss from our “To-Home” business driven by Ele.me’s improved unit economics and increasing scale.

 

Digital Media and Entertainment Group

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

Revenue from Digital Media and Entertainment Group was RMB5,040 million (US$710 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, an increase of 18% compared to RMB4,261 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily driven by the strong revenue growth of offline entertainment businesses of Alibaba Pictures.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Digital Media and Entertainment Group adjusted EBITA in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was a loss of RMB517 million (US$73 million), compared to a loss of RMB391 million in the same quarter of 2022. Losses increased year-over-year primarily due to the increased losses of Youku.

 

All Others

 

(i)            Segment revenue

 

Revenue from All others segment was RMB47,023 million (US$6,623 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, a decrease of 7% compared to RMB50,334 million in the same quarter of 2022, mainly due to the decrease in revenue from Sun Art, driven by the scale down of supply chain business and the decrease in ticket size.

 

(ii)          Segment adjusted EBITA

 

Adjusted EBITA from All others segment in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was a loss of RMB3,172 million (US$447 million), compared to a loss of RMB1,698 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily due to an increase in year-over-year loss from Sun Art due to scale down of certain of its businesses.

 

11


 

DECEMBER QUARTER OTHER FINANCIAL RESULTS

 

Costs and Expenses

 

The following tables set forth a breakdown of our costs and expenses, share-based compensation expense, and costs and expenses excluding share-based compensation expense by function for the periods indicated:

 

    Three months ended December 31,     % of  
    2022     2023     Revenue  
    RMB     % of
Revenue
    RMB     US$     % of
Revenue
    YoY
change
 
                                     
    (in millions, except percentages)  
Costs and expenses:                                                
Cost of revenue     150,005       61 %     156,214       22,002       60 %     (1 )%
Product development expenses     13,521       6 %     13,488       1,900       5 %     (1 )%
Sales and marketing expenses     30,628       12 %     33,783       4,758       13 %     1 %
General and administrative expenses     10,327       4 %     11,261       1,586       4 %     0 %
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     5,530       2 %     14,601       2,056       6 %     4 %
Impairment of goodwill     2,714       1 %     8,490       1,196       3 %     2 %
Total costs and expenses     212,725       86 %     237,837       33,498       91 %     5 %
                                                 
Share-based compensation expense:                                                
Cost of revenue     1,660       1 %     1,184       167       0 %     (1 )%
Product development expenses     3,755       2 %     2,822       397       1 %     (1 )%
Sales and marketing expenses     1,081       0 %     805       113       0 %     0 %
General and administrative expenses     2,277       1 %     1,411       199       1 %     0 %
Total share-based compensation expense     8,773       4 %     6,222       876       2 %     (2 )%
                                                 
Costs and expenses excluding share-based compensation expense:                                                
Cost of revenue     148,345       60 %     155,030       21,835       60 %     0 %
Product development expenses     9,766       4 %     10,666       1,503       4 %     0 %
Sales and marketing expenses     29,547       12 %     32,978       4,645       13 %     1 %
General and administrative expenses     8,050       3 %     9,850       1,387       3 %     0 %
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     5,530       2 %     14,601       2,056       6 %     4 %
Impairment of goodwill     2,714       1 %     8,490       1,196       3 %     2 %
Total costs and expenses excluding share-based compensation expense     203,952       82 %     231,615       32,622       89 %     7 %

 

Cost of revenue – Cost of revenue in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB156,214 million (US$22,002 million), or 60% of revenue, compared to RMB150,005 million, or 61% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2022. Without the effect of share-based compensation expense, cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue would have remained stable at 60% in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same quarter last year.

 

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Product development expenses – Product development expenses in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 were RMB13,488 million (US$1,900 million), or 5% of revenue, compared to RMB13,521 million, or 6% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2022. Without the effect of share-based compensation expense, product development expenses as a percentage of revenue would have remained stable at 4% in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same quarter last year.

 

Sales and marketing expenses – Sales and marketing expenses in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 were RMB33,783 million (US$4,758 million), or 13% of revenue, compared to RMB30,628 million, or 12% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2022. Without the effect of share-based compensation expense, sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenue would have increased from 12% in the quarter ended December 31, 2022 to 13% in the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

 

General and administrative expenses – General and administrative expenses in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 were RMB11,261 million (US$1,586 million), or 4% of revenue, compared to RMB10,327 million, or 4% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2022. Without the effect of share-based compensation expense, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue would have remained stable at 3% in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same quarter last year.

 

Share-based compensation expense – Total share-based compensation expense included in the cost and expense items above in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB6,222 million (US$876 million), compared to RMB8,773 million in the same quarter of 2022. Share-based compensation expense as a percentage of revenue decreased from 4% in the quarter ended December 31, 2022 to 2% in the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

 

The following table sets forth our analysis of share-based compensation expense for the quarters indicated by type of share-based awards:

 

    Three months ended December 31,        
    2022     2023        
    RMB     % of
Revenue
    RMB     US$     % of
Revenue
   

YoY %

Change

 
                                     
    (in millions, except percentages)  
By type of awards:                                    
Alibaba Group share-based awards(1)     6,841       3 %     4,517       636       2 %     (34 )%
Ant Group share-based awards(2)     354       0 %     33       5       0 %     (91 )%
Others(3)     1,578       1 %     1,672       235       0 %     6 %
Total share-based compensation expense     8,773       4 %     6,222       876       2 %     (29 )%

 

 

(1) This represents Alibaba Group share-based awards granted to our employees.

(2) This represents Ant Group share-based awards granted to our employees, which is subject to mark-to-market accounting treatment.

(3) This represents share-based awards of our subsidiaries.

 

Share-based compensation expense related to Alibaba Group share-based awards decreased in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same quarter of 2022. This decrease was primarily due to the general decrease in the average fair market value of the awards granted.

 

We expect that our share-based compensation expense will continue to be affected by changes in the fair value of the underlying awards and the quantity of awards we grant in the future.

 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets – Amortization and impairment of intangible assets in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB14,601 million (US$2,056 million), an increase of 164% from RMB5,530 million in the same quarter of 2022. During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, an impairment of intangible assets of RMB12,084 million (US$1,702 million) was recorded relating to Sun Art within All others segment, which mainly include trade names, trademarks and domain names, considering lower than expected profitability as a result of uncertainties in the market environment. During the quarter ended December 31, 2022, impairment of intangible assets of RMB2,811 million was recorded mainly relating to one of our import e-commerce platforms in China.

 

13


 

Impairment of goodwill – Impairment of goodwill in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB8,490 million (US$1,196 million), an increase of 213%, from RMB2,714 million in the same quarter of 2022. Impairment recorded in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 represents the impairment of goodwill relating to Youku.

 

Income from operations and operating margin

 

Income from operations in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB22,511 million (US$3,171 million), or 9% of revenue, a decrease of 36% compared to RMB35,031 million, or 14% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2022, primarily attributable to impairment of intangible assets of Sun Art and impairment of goodwill of Youku.

 

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITA

 

Adjusted EBITDA increased 1% year-over-year to RMB59,572 million (US$8,391 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to RMB59,162 million in the same quarter of 2022. Adjusted EBITA increased 2% year-over-year to RMB52,843 million (US$7,443 million) in the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to RMB52,048 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily contributed by revenue growth and improved operating efficiency that was partly offset by the increase in investments in certain businesses. A reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITA is included at the end of this results announcement.

 

Adjusted EBITA by segment

 

Adjusted EBITA by segment as well as a reconciliation of income from operations to adjusted EBITA are set forth in the section entitled “December Quarter Segment Results” above.

 

Interest and investment income, net

 

Interest and investment income, net in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was a loss of RMB3,500 million (US$493 million), compared to a gain of RMB15,516 million in the same quarter of 2022, primarily due to mark-to-market changes from our equity investments.

 

The above-mentioned gains and losses were excluded from our non-GAAP net income.

 

Other income, net

 

Other income, net in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB439 million (US$62 million), compared to RMB1,462 million in the same quarter of 2022. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to a change in China VAT tax rule which reduced input VAT super-credit rate from 10% to 5%.

 

Income tax expenses

 

Income tax expenses in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 were RMB4,988 million (US$702 million), compared to RMB3,820 million in the same quarter of 2022.

 

14


 

Share of results of equity method investees

 

Share of results of equity method investees in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was a loss of RMB1,613 million (US$228 million), compared to a loss of RMB893 million in the same quarter of 2022. The following table sets forth a breakdown of share of results of equity method investees for the periods indicated:

 

    Three months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
                   
    (in millions)  
Share of profit (loss) of equity method investees                  
- Ant Group     1,005       80       11  
- Others     (807 )     (864 )     (122 )
Impairment loss     (132 )     (11 )     (2 )
Others(1)     (959 )     (818 )     (115 )
Total     (893 )     (1,613 )     (228 )

 

 

(1) Others mainly include basis differences arising from equity method investees, share-based compensation expense related to share-based awards granted to employees of our equity method investees, as well as gain or loss arising from the deemed disposal of the equity method investees.

 

We record our share of results of all equity method investees one quarter in arrears. The year-over-year decrease in share of profit of Ant Group was mainly due to the increase in Ant Group’s net investment loss, whilst its operating profit was largely flat.

 

Net income and Non-GAAP net income

 

Our net income in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB10,717 million (US$1,509 million), compared to RMB45,746 million in the same quarter of 2022, which was primarily attributable to mark-to-market changes from our equity investments and the decrease in income from operations due to impairment.

 

Excluding share-based compensation expense, revaluation and disposal gains/losses of investments, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization and impairment of intangible assets and certain other items, non-GAAP net income in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB47,951 million (US$6,754 million), a decrease of 4% compared to RMB49,932 million in the same quarter of 2022. A reconciliation of net income to non-GAAP net income is included at the end of this results announcement.

 

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB14,433 million (US$2,033 million), compared to RMB46,815 million in the same quarter of 2022, which was primarily attributable to mark-to-market changes from our equity investments and the decrease in income from operations due to impairment, partly offset by an increase in impairment of intangible assets attributable to noncontrolling interests.

 

Diluted earnings per ADS/share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS/share

 

Diluted earnings per ADS in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB5.65 (US$0.80), compared to RMB17.91 in the same quarter in 2022. Excluding share-based compensation expense, revaluation and disposal gains/losses of investments, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization and impairment of intangible assets and certain other items, non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB18.97 (US$2.67), a decrease of 2% compared to RMB19.26 in the same quarter of 2022.

 

15


 

 

Diluted earnings per share in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB0.71 (US$0.10 or HK$0.78), compared to RMB2.24 in the same quarter of 2022. Excluding share-based compensation expense, revaluation and disposal gains/losses of investments, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization and impairment of intangible assets and certain other items, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was RMB2.37 (US$0.33 or HK$2.62), a decrease of 2% compared to RMB2.41 in the same quarter of 2022.

 

A reconciliation of diluted earnings per ADS/share to non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS/share is included at the end of this results announcement. Each ADS represents eight ordinary shares.

 

Cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and other treasury investments

 

As of December 31, 2023, cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and other treasury investments included in equity securities and other investments on the consolidated balance sheets, were RMB652,962 million (US$91,968 million), compared to RMB560,314 million as of March 31, 2023. Other treasury investments mainly comprise of investments in fixed deposits and certificates of deposits with original maturities over one year for treasury purposes. The increase in cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and other treasury investments during the nine months ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to free cash flow generated from operations of RMB140,849 million (US$19,838 million), effect of exchange gain of RMB8,949 million (US$1,260 million) mainly due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against Renminbi, and net cash provided by investment and acquisition activities of RMB3,289 million (US$463 million), partly offset by cash used in repurchase of ordinary shares of RMB54,731 million (US$7,709 million) and repayment of unsecured senior notes of US$700 million.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities and free cash flow

 

During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by operating activities was RMB64,716 million (US$9,115 million), a decrease of 26% compared to RMB87,370 million in the same quarter of 2022. Free cash flow, a non-GAAP measurement of liquidity, was RMB56,540 million (US$7,963 million), a decrease of 31% compared to RMB81,514 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in free cash flow was attributed to increased capex and several one-time factors including timing of income tax payments and working capital changes related to several of our businesses. A reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow is included at the end of this results announcement.

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in investing activities of RMB30,925 million (US$4,356 million) primarily reflected (i) an increase in other treasury investments by RMB14,559 million (US$2,051 million), (ii) capital expenditure of RMB8,857 million (US$1,247 million), (iii) an increase in short-term investments by RMB5,477 million (US$771 million), and (iv) cash outflow of RMB4,833 million (US$680 million) for investment and acquisition activities. These cash outflows were partially offset by cash inflow of RMB3,333 million (US$469 million) from disposal of investments.

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in financing activities of RMB17,214 million (US$2,424 million) primarily reflected cash used in repurchase of ordinary shares of RMB20,706 million (US$2,916 million), partially offset by net proceeds from bank borrowings of RMB2,955 million (US$416 million).

 

16 


 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2023, we had a total of 219,260 employees, compared to 224,955 as of September 30, 2023.

 

17 


 

WEBCAST AND CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

 

Alibaba Group’s management will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results at 7:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8:30 p.m. Hong Kong Time) on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

 

All participants must pre-register to join this conference call using the Participant Registration link below:

English: https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10035621-gh7t8u.html

Chinese: https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10035625-fh86y7.html

 

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for the conference call, including dial-in numbers, conference call passcode and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the number provided, enter the passcode followed by your PIN, and you will join the conference.

 

A live webcast of the earnings conference call can be accessed at https://www.alibabagroup.com/en-US/ir-financial-reports-quarterly-results. An archived webcast will be available through the same link following the call. A replay of the conference call will be available for one week from the date of the conference (Dial-in number: +1 855 883 1031; English conference PIN 10035621; Chinese conference PIN 10035625).

 

Please visit Alibaba Group’s Investor Relations website at https://www.alibabagroup.com/en-US/investor-relations on February 7, 2024 to view the earnings release and accompanying slides prior to the conference call.

 

ABOUT ALIBABA GROUP

 

Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a good company that lasts for 102 years.

 

Investor Relations Contact

 

Rob Lin

Head of Investor Relations

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

investor@alibaba-inc.com

 

Media Contacts

 

Cathy Yan

cathy.yan@alibaba-inc.com

 

Ivy Ke

ivy.ke@alibaba-inc.com

 

EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION

 

This results announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi (“RMB”) amounts into U.S. dollars (“US$”) and Hong Kong dollars (“HK$”) for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations of RMB into US$ were made at RMB7.0999 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on December 29, 2023 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board, and all translations of RMB into HK$ were made at RMB0.90622 to HK$1.00, the middle rate on December 29, 2023 as published by the People’s Bank of China. The percentages stated in this announcement are calculated based on the RMB amounts and there may be minor differences due to rounding.

 

18 


 

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “future,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “seek,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “target,” “guidance,” “is/are likely to” and similar statements. In addition, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Alibaba Group’s new organizational and governance structure, Alibaba’s strategies and business plans, Alibaba’s beliefs, expectations and guidance regarding the growth of its business, revenue and return on investments, share repurchases, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Alibaba’s strategic and operational plans, are or contain forward-looking statements. Alibaba may also make forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Hong Kong Stock Exchange”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. These factors include but are not limited to the following: Alibaba’s corporate structure, including the VIE structure it uses to operate certain businesses in the PRC; the implementation of Alibaba Group’s new organizational and governance structure and the execution of spin-off or capital raising plans of its subsidiaries; Alibaba’s ability to maintain the trusted status of its ecosystem; Alibaba’s ability to compete, innovate and maintain or grow its revenue or business, including expanding its international and cross-border businesses and operations and managing a large and complex organization; risks associated with sustained investments in Alibaba’s businesses; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and globally; uncertainties arising from competition among countries and geopolitical tensions, including protectionist or national security policies and export control, economic or trade sanctions; risks associated with Alibaba’s acquisitions, investments and alliances; uncertainties and risks associated with a broad range of complex laws and regulations (including in the areas of data security and privacy protection, anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition, content regulation, consumer protection and regulation of Internet platforms) in the PRC and globally; cybersecurity risks; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Alibaba’s filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this results announcement is as of the date of this results announcement and are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date, and Alibaba does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

 

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

 

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: for our consolidated results, adjusted EBITDA (including adjusted EBITDA margin), adjusted EBITA (including adjusted EBITA margin), non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS and free cash flow. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the table captioned “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures” in this results announcement.

 

We believe that adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain income or expenses that we include in income from operations, net income and diluted earnings per share/ADS. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about our core operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making. We present three different income measures, namely adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITA and non-GAAP net income in order to provide more information and greater transparency to investors about our operating results.

 

19 


 

We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by our business that can be used for strategic corporate transactions, including investing in our new business initiatives, making strategic investments and acquisitions and strengthening our balance sheet.

 

Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITA, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS and free cash flow should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to income from operations, net income, diluted earnings per share/ADS, cash flows or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented here do not have standardized meanings prescribed by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data.

 

Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest and investment income, net, interest expense, other income, net, income tax expenses and share of results of equity method investees, share-based compensation expense, amortization and impairment of intangible assets, depreciation and impairment of property and equipment, and operating lease cost relating to land use rights, impairment of goodwill, and others (including provision in relation to matters outside the ordinary course of business, as well as equity-settled donation expense), which we do not believe are reflective of our core operating performance during the periods presented.

 

Adjusted EBITA represents net income before interest and investment income, net, interest expense, other income, net, income tax expenses and share of results of equity method investees, share-based compensation expense, amortization and impairment of intangible assets, impairment of goodwill, and others (including provision in relation to matters outside the ordinary course of business, as well as equity-settled donation expense), which we do not believe are reflective of our core operating performance during the periods presented.

 

Non-GAAP net income represents net income before share-based compensation expense, amortization and impairment of intangible assets, gain or loss on deemed disposals/disposals/revaluation of investments, impairment of goodwill and investments, and others (including provision in relation to matters outside the ordinary course of business, as well as equity-settled donation expense), and adjustments for the tax effects.

 

Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share represents non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of outstanding ordinary shares for computing non-GAAP diluted earnings per share on a diluted basis. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS represents non-GAAP diluted earnings per share after adjusting for the ordinary share-to-ADS ratio.

 

Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities as presented in our consolidated cash flow statement less purchases of property and equipment (excluding acquisition of land use rights and construction in progress relating to office campuses) and intangible assets (excluding those acquired through acquisitions), as well as adjustments to exclude from net cash provided by operating activities the buyer protection fund deposits from merchants on our marketplaces. We deduct certain items of cash flows from investing activities in order to provide greater transparency into cash flow from our revenue-generating business operations. We exclude “acquisition of land use rights and construction in progress relating to office campuses” because the office campuses are used by us for corporate and administrative purposes and are not directly related to our revenue-generating business operations. We also exclude buyer protection fund deposits from merchants on our marketplaces because these deposits are restricted for the purpose of compensating buyers for claims against merchants.

 

20 


 

The table captioned “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures” in this results announcement has more details on the non-GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to GAAP financial measures and the related reconciliations between these financial measures.

 

21 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS

 

    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions, except per share data)     (in millions, except per share data)  
Revenue     247,756       260,348       36,669       660,487       719,294       101,310  
Cost of revenue     (150,005 )     (156,214 )     (22,002 )     (410,872 )     (438,225 )     (61,723 )
Product development expenses     (13,521 )     (13,488 )     (1,900 )     (42,864 )     (38,171 )     (5,376 )
Sales and marketing expenses     (30,628 )     (33,783 )     (4,758 )     (78,565 )     (86,315 )     (12,157 )
General and administrative expenses     (10,327 )     (11,261 )     (1,586 )     (29,351 )     (27,966 )     (3,939 )
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     (5,530 )     (14,601 )     (2,056 )     (11,010 )     (19,511 )     (2,748 )
Impairment of goodwill     (2,714 )     (8,490 )     (1,196 )     (2,714 )     (10,521 )     (1,482 )
                                                 
Income from operations     35,031       22,511       3,171       85,111       98,585       13,885  
Interest and investment income, net     15,516       (3,500 )     (493 )     (21,567 )     (4,262 )     (600 )
Interest expense     (1,550 )     (2,132 )     (301 )     (4,182 )     (5,770 )     (813 )
Other income, net     1,462       439       62       4,515       3,194       450  
                                                 
Income before income tax and share of results of equity method investees     50,459       17,318       2,439       63,877       91,747       12,922  
Income tax expenses     (3,820 )     (4,988 )     (702 )     (11,791 )     (16,807 )     (2,367 )
Share of results of equity method investees     (893 )     (1,613 )     (228 )     (8,509 )     (4,527 )     (638 )
                                                 
Net income     45,746       10,717       1,509       43,577       70,413       9,917  
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests     1,167       3,838       541       5,562       6,231       878  
                                                 
Net income attributable to Alibaba Group Holding Limited     46,913       14,555       2,050       49,139       76,644       10,795  
                                                 
Accretion of mezzanine equity     (98 )     (122 )     (17 )     (146 )     (173 )     (24 )
                                                 
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders     46,815       14,433       2,033       48,993       76,471       10,771  
                                                 
Earnings per share attributable to ordinary shareholders(1)                                                
Basic     2.25       0.72       0.10       2.32       3.76       0.53  
Diluted     2.24       0.71       0.10       2.31       3.72       0.52  
                                                 
Earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders(1)                                                 
Basic     18.00       5.73       0.81       18.59       30.04       4.24  
Diluted     17.91       5.65       0.80       18.49       29.73       4.19  
                                                 
Weighted average number of shares used in calculating earnings per ordinary share (million shares)(1)                                                
Basic     20,805       20,138               21,089       20,322          
Diluted     20,912       20,321               21,190       20,485          

 

 

 

(1) Each ADS represents eight ordinary shares.

 

22 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

    As of March 31,     As of December 31,  
    2023     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
                   
    (in millions)  
Assets                  
Current assets:                        
Cash and cash equivalents     193,086       254,804       35,889  
Short-term investments     326,492       300,419       42,313  
Restricted cash and escrow receivables     36,424       40,125       5,651  
Equity securities and other investments     4,892       59,176       8,335  
Prepayments, receivables and other assets     137,072       152,718       21,510  
Total current assets     697,966       807,242       113,698  
                         
Equity securities and other investments     245,737       222,038       31,273  
Prepayments, receivables and other assets     110,926       115,035       16,202  
Investment in equity method investees     207,380       207,166       29,179  
Property and equipment, net     176,031       181,608       25,579  
Intangible assets, net     46,913       28,355       3,994  
Goodwill     268,091       259,522       36,553  
Total assets     1,753,044       1,820,966       256,478  
                         
Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Shareholders’ Equity                        
Current liabilities:                        
Current bank borrowings     7,466       10,396       1,464  
Current unsecured senior notes     4,800       15,958       2,248  
Income tax payable     12,543       11,017       1,552  
Accrued expenses, accounts payable and other liabilities     275,950       315,242       44,401  
Merchant deposits     13,297       23,901       3,366  
Deferred revenue and customer advances     71,295       72,240       10,175  
Total current liabilities     385,351       448,754       63,206  

 

23 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)

 

    As of March 31,     As of December 31,  
    2023     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
                   
    (in millions)  
Deferred revenue     3,560       4,048       570  
Deferred tax liabilities     61,745       53,583       7,547  
Non-current bank borrowings     52,023       55,034       7,751  
Non-current unsecured senior notes     97,065       84,538       11,907  
Other liabilities     30,379       32,579       4,589  
Total liabilities     630,123       678,536       95,570  
                         
Commitments and contingencies                        
                         
Mezzanine equity     9,858       10,561       1,487  
                         
Shareholders’ equity:                        
Ordinary shares     1       1        
Additional paid-in capital     416,880       406,515       57,256  
Treasury shares at cost     (28,763 )     (27,905 )     (3,930 )
Subscription receivables     (49 )            
Statutory reserves     12,977       14,555       2,050  
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income     (10,417 )     403       57  
Retained earnings     599,028       617,021       86,906  
                         
Total shareholders’ equity     989,657       1,010,590       142,339  
Noncontrolling interests     123,406       121,279       17,082  
                         
Total equity     1,113,063       1,131,869       159,421  
                         
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and equity     1,753,044       1,820,966       256,478  

 

24 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions)     (in millions)  
Net cash provided by operating activities     87,370       64,716       9,115       168,351       159,253       22,430  
Net cash used in investing activities     (72,943 )     (30,925 )     (4,356 )     (108,698 )     (42,091 )     (5,928 )
Net cash used in financing activities     (23,808 )     (17,214 )     (2,424 )     (56,300 )     (54,232 )     (7,638 )
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow receivables     (2,032 )     (2,643 )     (372 )     4,731       2,489       350  
                                                 
(Decrease) Increase in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow receivables     (11,413 )     13,934       1,963       8,084       65,419       9,214  
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow receivables at beginning of period     246,850       280,995       39,577       227,353       229,510       32,326  
                                                 
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow receivables at end of period     235,437       294,929       41,540       235,437       294,929       41,540  

 

25 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE U.S. GAAP MEASURES

 

The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net income to adjusted EBITA and adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:

 

    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions)     (in millions)  
Net income     45,746       10,717       1,509       43,577       70,413       9,917  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to adjusted EBITA and adjusted EBITDA:                                                
Interest and investment income, net     (15,516 )     3,500       493       21,567       4,262       600  
Interest expense     1,550       2,132       301       4,182       5,770       813  
Other income, net     (1,462 )     (439 )     (62 )     (4,515 )     (3,194 )     (450 )
Income tax expenses     3,820       4,988       702       11,791       16,807       2,367  
Share of results of equity method investees     893       1,613       228       8,509       4,527       638  
Income from operations     35,031       22,511       3,171       85,111       98,585       13,885  
Share-based compensation expense     8,773       6,222       876       23,285       11,423       1,609  
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     5,530       14,601       2,056       11,010       19,511       2,748  
Impairment of goodwill, and others     2,714       9,509       1,340       3,225       11,540       1,626  
Adjusted EBITA     52,048       52,843       7,443       122,631       141,059       19,868  
Depreciation and impairment of property and equipment, and operating lease cost relating to land use rights     7,114       6,729       948       20,956       19,802       2,789  
Adjusted EBITDA     59,162       59,572       8,391       143,587       160,861       22,657  

 

26 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE U.S. GAAP MEASURES (CONTINUED)

 

The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net income to non-GAAP net income for the periods indicated:

 

 
    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
                         
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions)     (in millions)  
Net income     45,746       10,717       1,509       43,577       70,413       9,917  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to non-GAAP net income:                                                
Share-based compensation expense     8,773       6,222       876       23,285       11,423       1,609  
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets     5,530       14,601       2,056       11,010       19,511       2,748  
(Gain) Loss on deemed disposals/disposals/ revaluation of investments     (11,187 )     9,358       1,318       25,661       16,665       2,347  
Impairment of goodwill and investments, and others     3,927       11,149       1,571       17,572       23,022       3,243  
Tax effects (1)     (2,857 )     (4,096 )     (576 )     (7,101 )     (7,973 )     (1,123 )
                                                 
Non-GAAP net income     49,932       47,951       6,754       114,004       133,061       18,741  

 

 

(1) Tax effects primarily comprise tax effects relating to share-based compensation expense, amortization and impairment of intangible assets and certain gains and losses from investments, and others.

 

27 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE U.S. GAAP MEASURES (CONTINUED)

 

The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our diluted earnings per share/ADS to non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS for the periods indicated:

 

    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions, except per share data)     (in millions, except per share data)  
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders – basic     46,815       14,433       2,033       48,993       76,471       10,771  
Dilution effect on earnings arising from share-based awards operated by equity method investees and subsidiaries     (8 )     (79 )     (11 )     (9 )     (213 )     (30 )
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders – diluted     46,807       14,354       2,022       48,984       76,258       10,741  
Non-GAAP adjustments to net income attributable to ordinary shareholders(1)     3,526       33,824       4,764       67,051       56,773       7,996  
                                                 
Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS     50,333       48,178       6,786       116,035       133,031       18,737  
                                                 
Weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis for computing non-GAAP diluted earnings per share/ADS (million shares)(2)     20,912       20,321               21,190       20,485          
                                                 
Diluted earnings per share(2)(3)     2.24       0.71       0.10       2.31       3.72       0.52  
                                                 
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share(2)(4)     2.41       2.37       0.33       5.48       6.50       0.91  
                                                 
Diluted earnings per ADS(2)(3)     17.91       5.65       0.80       18.49       29.73       4.19  
                                                 
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS(2)(4)     19.26       18.97       2.67       43.80       51.97       7.32  

 

 

(1) See the table above for the reconciliation of net income to non-GAAP net income for more information of these non-GAAP adjustments.
(2) Each ADS represents eight ordinary shares.
(3) Diluted earnings per share is derived from dividing net income attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of outstanding ordinary shares, on a diluted basis. Diluted earnings per ADS is derived from the diluted earnings per share after adjusting for the ordinary share-to-ADS ratio.
(4) Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is derived from dividing non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of outstanding ordinary shares for computing non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, on a diluted basis. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS is derived from the non-GAAP diluted earnings per share after adjusting for the ordinary share-to-ADS ratio.

 

28 


 

ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE U.S. GAAP MEASURES (CONTINUED)

 

The table below sets forth a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for the periods indicated:

 

    Three months ended December 31,     Nine months ended December 31,  
    2022     2023     2022     2023  
                         
    RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
                                     
    (in millions)     (in millions)  
Net cash provided by operating activities     87,370       64,716       9,115       168,351       159,253       22,430  
Less: Purchase of property and equipment (excluding land use rights and construction in progress relating to office campuses)     (5,793 )     (7,286 )     (1,026 )     (27,860 )     (17,405 )     (2,451 )
Less: Purchase of intangible assets (excluding those acquired through acquisitions)           (842 )     (119 )     (22 )     (842 )     (119 )
Less: Changes in the buyer protection fund deposits     (63 )     (48 )     (7 )     (1,073 )     (157 )     (22 )
                                                 
Free cash flow     81,514       56,540       7,963       139,396       140,849       19,838  

 

29