3 October 2018 | 7:04AM HKT
Alibaba Group (BABA) L C
y Investing for future growth: Evolving ecommerce and digitizing retail u
B industry; reiterate Buy (on CL)
BABA $247.00 $160.23 54.2% Piyush Mubayi 12m Price Target: Price: Upside: +852-2978-1677 | [email protected] Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. What has changed Ronald Keung, CFA +852-2978-0856 | [email protected] Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. Alibaba’s 3rd Annual Investor Day reinforced our bullish stance on Bill Liu, CFA the company’s value proposition in a digital era. We remain +852-2978-0820 | [email protected] Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. impressed with Alibaba’s overall leverage to China consumption Wendy Chen +852-2978-2672 | [email protected] growth given its strategy, positioning, ability to build new Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. businesses (such as new retail) and its execution. We note the Key Data ______company’s unique corporate structure and culture and highlight its Market cap: $419.6bn deep bench of management expertise. We expect Alibaba to Enterprise value: $411.2bn 3m ADTV: $3.7bn continue to invest for future growth on multiple fronts, including China Asia Internet retailing, digital advertising, local services and entertainment, for M&A Rank: 3 Asia ex. Japan Conviction List what we believe will be a TAM (total addressable market) of GS Forecast ______~RMB80 trillion by 2020E. 3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Revenue (Rmb mn) New 250,266.0 398,389.8 578,365.2 796,295.2 In this note, we provide a summary and outlook for each major Revenue (Rmb mn) Old 250,266.0 400,927.6 575,336.8 788,643.6 EBITDA (Rmb mn) 105,792.0 126,007.3 170,127.9 240,808.0 division. We raise our 12m SOTP-based TP by 2% to US$247 on EPS (Rmb) New 33.00 38.20 52.47 74.36 EPS (Rmb) Old 33.00 39.52 56.08 77.21 higher Ant Financial valuation; we reiterate our Buy rating (on P/E (X) 32.6 28.9 21.0 14.8 Conviction List). P/B (X) 7.7 6.3 4.9 3.8 Dividend yield (%) NM NM NM NM CROCI (%) 21.1 25.8 29.7 36.9
Implications 3/18 6/18E 9/18E 12/18E (1) Alibaba is digitalizing the entire retail experience and building EPS (Rmb) 5.73 8.04 8.45 14.25 ______up infrastructure to realize its vision of “Business as a Service GS Factor Profile Growth (BAAS)”. We estimate online retail penetration rising to 29% by Financial Returns 2020E in China’s ~RMB48 trillion retail market. Multiple (2) Core commerce business: Taobao recommendation feeds have Integrated simplified the user shopping experience and are taking
personalization to the next level. In the process, Taobao should Percentile 20th 40th 60th 80th 100th
create additional ad inventory which we believe will be monetized BABA relative to Asia ex. Japan Coverage over the next few years. BABA relative to Asia Internet
Source: Company data, Goldman Sachs Research estimates. See disclosures for details.
Goldman Sachs does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should consider this report as only a single factor in making their investment decision. For Reg AC certification and other important disclosures, see the Disclosure Appendix, or go to www.gs.com/research/hedge.html. Analysts employed by non-US affiliates are not registered/qualified as research analysts with FINRA in the U.S. Goldman Sachs Alibaba Group (BABA)
Alibaba Group (BABA) Balance Sheet (Rmb mn) ______3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Buy CL Rating since May 8, 2015 Cash & cash equivalents 199,309.0 237,740.5 296,868.9 411,675.1 Accounts receivable 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Inventory ------Ratios & Valuation ______Other current assets 57,546.0 94,189.0 130,280.1 169,969.1 3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Total current assets 256,855.0 331,929.5 427,149.0 581,644.2 P/E (X) 32.6 28.9 21.0 14.8 Net PP&E 66,489.0 75,083.8 91,714.5 115,345.5 P/B (X) 7.7 6.3 4.9 3.8 Net intangibles 198,991.0 202,363.6 205,079.0 211,192.3 FCF yield (%) 3.2 4.0 4.9 6.6 Total investments 177,892.0 245,069.5 322,323.6 399,577.8 EV/EBITDA (X) 27.2 22.5 16.2 10.6 Other long-term assets 16,897.0 34,563.4 55,035.7 80,387.7 CROCI (%) 21.1 25.8 29.7 36.9 Total assets 717,124.0 889,009.9 1,101,301.8 1,388,147.5 ROE (%) 25.9 23.3 26.0 28.8 Accounts payable 97,907.0 167,491.8 240,400.1 323,409.4 Net debt/equity (%) (37.6) (38.5) (40.3) (47.7) Short-term debt 6,028.0 5,537.6 5,155.9 7,225.7 Interest cover (X) 28.0 22.9 32.3 50.3 Other current liabilities 31,875.0 46,251.6 64,526.6 85,630.5 Days inventory outst, sales ------Total current liabilities 135,810.0 219,281.1 310,082.6 416,265.6 Receivable days ------Long-term debt 34,153.0 31,374.5 29,211.8 3,096.7 Days payable outstanding 276.0 233.8 245.2 245.8 Other long-term liabilities 107,722.0 100,776.7 95,370.6 115,251.3 DuPont ROE (%) 19.0 18.0 20.6 23.2 Total long-term liabilities 141,875.0 132,151.3 124,582.4 118,348.0 Turnover (X) 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Total liabilities 277,685.0 351,432.4 434,665.0 534,613.6 Leverage (X) 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6 Preferred shares 3,001.0 3,001.0 3,001.0 3,001.0 Total common equity 365,822.0 463,960.6 593,019.8 779,916.9 Growth & Margins (%) ______Minority interest 70,616.0 70,616.0 70,616.0 70,616.0 3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Total liabilities & equity 717,124.0 889,009.9 1,101,301.8 1,388,147.5 Total revenue growth 58.1 59.2 45.2 37.7 Gross cash invested (ex cash) 414,508.0 466,515.6 533,150.0 608,087.5 EBITDA growth 42.1 19.1 35.0 41.5 Net debt, adjusted (162,213.0) (203,913.4) (265,586.2) (404,437.8) EPS growth 40.8 15.7 37.4 41.7 Average capital employed 248,801.5 308,530.1 370,442.4 428,158.4 DPS growth NM NM NM NM BVPS (Rmb) 140.16 176.08 222.84 290.16 EBIT margin 35.7 26.6 25.1 26.2 EBITDA margin 42.3 31.6 29.4 30.2 Cash Flow (Rmb mn) ______Net income margin 33.4 24.3 23.8 24.8 3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Net income 64,468.7 56,363.0 77,006.4 123,193.4 Price Performance ______D&A add-back 22,020.0 20,181.2 25,126.3 32,363.2 BABA ($) S&P 500 Minority interest add-back (2,681.0) (3,960.0) (2,000.0) (2,000.0) Net (inc)/dec working capital 22,082.0 29,652.0 34,619.8 39,072.3 240 3,000 Other operating cash flow 13,214.3 45,735.6 54,052.9 65,703.6 220 2,900 Cash flow from operations 119,104.0 147,971.8 188,805.4 258,332.5
200 2,800 Capital expenditures (29,836.0) (32,148.6) (44,472.3) (62,107.6) 180 2,700 Acquisitions (53,742.0) (67,177.5) (77,254.1) (77,254.1) Divestitures 6,185.0 ------160 2,600 Others (6,497.0) ------140 2,500 Cash flow from investing (83,890.0) (99,326.1) (121,726.4) (139,361.7)
Oc t-17 J a n-18 Apr-18 J ul-18 Oc t-18 Dividends paid (common & pref) 1,124.0 ------3m 6m 12m Inc/(dec) in debt (3,590.0) (10,214.1) (7,950.6) (4,164.6) Absolute (14.0)% (9.8)% (7.7)% Other financing cash flows 22,825.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Rel. to the S&P 500 (19.8)% (20.3)% (20.2)% Cash flow from financing 20,359.0 (10,214.1) (7,950.6) (4,164.6) Total cash flow 55,573.0 38,431.5 59,128.3 114,806.3 Source: FactSet. Price as of 2 Oct 2018 close. Free cash flow 89,268.0 115,823.2 144,333.1 196,225.0
Income Statement (Rmb mn) ______Source: Company data, Goldman Sachs Research estimates. 3/18 3/19E 3/20E 3/21E Total revenue 250,266.0 398,389.8 578,365.2 796,295.2 Cost of goods sold (101,539.0) (207,207.8) (303,558.0) (418,659.0) SG&A (35,326.0) (52,774.7) (81,902.5) (107,323.2) R&D (16,398.0) (24,135.1) (37,593.7) (49,171.2) Other operating inc./(exp.) (7,614.0) (8,446.1) (10,309.4) (12,697.0) EBITDA 105,792.0 126,007.3 170,127.9 240,808.0 Depreciation & amortization (16,403.0) (20,181.2) (25,126.3) (32,363.2) EBIT 89,389.0 105,826.2 145,001.6 208,444.8 Net interest inc./(exp.) 27,304.7 5,655.4 6,649.0 10,558.7 Income/(loss) from associates ------Pre-tax profit 99,107.7 112,072.8 161,711.8 233,223.3 Provision for taxes (18,199.0) (19,241.1) (26,079.2) (37,365.2) Minority interest 2,681.0 3,960.0 2,000.0 2,000.0 Preferred dividends ------Net inc. (pre-exceptionals) 83,589.7 96,791.7 137,632.6 197,858.0 Post-tax exceptionals (19,121.0) (40,428.7) (60,626.2) (74,664.6) Net inc. (post-exceptionals) 64,468.7 56,363.0 77,006.4 123,193.4 EPS (basic, pre-except) (Rmb) 32.74 37.39 52.64 74.92 EPS (diluted, pre-except) (Rmb) 32.03 36.73 51.72 73.61 EPS (basic, post-except) (Rmb) 25.25 21.77 29.45 46.65 EPS (diluted, post-except) (Rmb) 24.70 21.39 28.94 45.83 DPS (Rmb) ------Div. payout ratio (%) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
3 October 2018 2 Goldman Sachs Alibaba Group (BABA) Table of Contents
Key takeaways from 2018 Alibaba Investor Day 6
Alibaba Digital Economy 6
Taobao: Personalization 4.0 9
Tmall: Transforming All 14
Ele.me: High-frequency category expansion 15
Hema: Pioneering new retail 20
Cainiao: Alibaba’s logistics infrastructure 22
Cloud: Empowering Digital Transformation 24
Ant Financial: Destination for 2bn+ Consumers 26
Youku: Where the fun starts 28
Lingshoutong: Digital solutions for small retailers 29
Amap: More than just a map 30
Strong core fueling future investments 31
M&A: The importance of synergies 35
Financials & valuation 35
Insight into Alibaba’s future 36
Disclosure Appendix 38
3 October 2018 3 Goldman Sachs Alibaba Group (BABA)
(3) Ele.me offers local services, a high-frequency category which we expect will have 2020E TAM of ~Rmb29tn. Ele.me is expanding the range of BABA’s service offerings, and has rapidly been integrated into the ecosystem of consumers, logistics infrastructure and merchants, whilst also expanding BABA’s last mile logistics solutions.
(4) Hema has revolutionized the Rmb5tn fresh grocery market by creating a new business model that drives low-cost traffic, upgrades the consumer experience and enhances efficiency.
(5) Alibaba’s Cloud empowers enterprises in their digital transformation via its state-of-the-art technology. Its market share has risen to 46% in 2017 from 30% in 2015, and it aims to further solidify its leading position in a market with a TAM of Rmb165bn by 2020E.
(6) Cainiao Logistics Network has been digitalizing the logistics industry and enhancing user experience, while providing supply chain solutions to new retail customers. With six global logistics hubs, Cainiao is expanding globally, creating a network of shipping, supply chain management, and last mile delivery.
(7) Ant Financial, the world’s largest techfin asset, is building the technology infrastructure for financial institutions leveraging Blockchain, AI and IoT. Its CreditTech, InsurTech, AMTech and its risk engine, AlphaRisk, helps its partners better service customers. Ant has 640mn customers using at least 2 categories of its services, and 190mn using at least 5 categories.
Valuation We raise our 12m SOTP-based TP by 2% to US$247 on a higher valuation for Ant Financial. We fine-tune our FY2019E-20E estimates to reflect higher investment and lower margins outlook, and update our RMB/US$ rate assumption from 6.8 to 6.9. Even though the Alibaba group is becoming more complicated, we believe its holding company discount shouldn’t be higher given all the moving parts are closely related to each other.
Exhibit 1: Alibaba P/E band: Three months of weakness has left the Exhibit 2: China Internet P/E band stock below its 12-month forward average P/E (the band at the middle)
Source: Bloomberg Source: Bloomberg
3 October 2018 4 Goldman Sachs Alibaba Group (BABA)
Key Risks 1) Slower growth driven by macroeconomic slowdown across major business lines, in particular China Commerce and Cloud Computing.
2) Lower monetization on account of the change in personalisation, and higher spending due to more intense competition (in China commerce, Cloud, entertainment) that could drag down cash flow.
3) Sustained losses caused by high subsidy and low monetization from new initiatives, including local services (Ele.me), globalization (Lazada), new retail (Hema) and logistics (Cainiao).
4) User targeting capability is improved at a slower than expected rate, resulting in lower CPC (cost per click) growth and thus slower revenue growth.
The authors would like to thank Chuqi Qiu and Yunfan Bao for their contribution to this report.
3 October 2018 5 Goldman Sachs Alibaba Group (BABA) Key takeaways from 2018 Alibaba Investor Day
Alibaba hosted its third Investor Day on September 17-19 at its headquarters in Hangzhou, China. Speakers included Jack Ma (Founder and Executive Chairman), Joe Tsai (Executive Vice Chairman), Daniel Zhang (CEO), Maggie Wu (CFO) and other members of the senior management team.
All statements in the company sections below are from company management unless otherwise stated.
Alibaba Digital Economy
Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer
With a clear mission “to make it easy to do business anywhere in the digital era”, Alibaba is striving to upgrade the consumer experience from “shopping @ Alibaba” to “living @ Alibaba”, and enable enterprises from “meeting @ Alibaba” to “working @ Alibaba”. The foundation of Alibaba’s three major business lines (i.e., commerce, services and entertainment) is its logistics, data technology/systems, marketing services & data management and payment & financial services. These infrastructure layers provide strong support for daily operations and fuel its continuous expansion.
The CEO also reiterated the company’s goal to achieve GMV of US$1tn in FY20E from US$768bn in FY2018, a CAGR of 14% — we forecast GMV of US$1.1tn in 2020E, or almost 2X that growth rate. By 2036, the company aims to serve 2bn customers around the world, enable 10mn profitable SMEs, and create 100mn job opportunities.
Exhibit 3: Alibaba’s Digital Economy: Commerce+Services+Entertainment, underpinned by strong infrastructure
Commerce Services Entertainment
Online integration Content community
Offline digitalization Suning JV
Data technology for Logistics infrastructure Data Data digital media and entertainment technology technology
Marketing services &