Alibaba Revenue Beats Estimates, CEO Lu to Step Down

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 7 May 2015 18:24 IST
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's quarterly revenue rose 45 percent, beating analysts' expectations, as the Chinese e-commerce company reported a jump in gross merchandise volume.

Alibaba's American depository shares were up 7.5 percent at $86 in premarket trading.

The company also said on Thursday that Chief Executive Jonathan Lu will step down, effective May 10, and would be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Daniel Zhang. Lu will remain on the board as vice chairman.

Advertisement

Alibaba's revenue jumped to $2.81 billion in the quarter ended March 31, beating the average analyst estimate of $2.77 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company earned $463 million, or 18 cents per share. Excluding items, the company earned 48 cents per share, beating the 42 cents analysts estimated.

Advertisement

Alibaba's gross merchandise volume (GMV) on China retail marketplaces jumped 40 percent to $97 billion. Mobile GMV continued to grow, accounting for 51 percent of total GMV, up from 42 percent in the December quarter.

About two-thirds of Alibaba's sales still come from its consumer-to-consumer marketplace Taobao, where it primarily earns revenue from advertising and marketing services and charges less for marketing on mobile devices than on computers.

Advertisement

"We assume that stepped up efforts to remove counterfeit goods has a measurable impact on GMV this quarter," MKM Partners analyst Rob Sanderson wrote in a note on May 4.

Investors have been spooked in recent months by the perception of increased regulatory pressure on Alibaba to tackle the sale of counterfeit goods on its platforms. Executive Chairman Jack Ma's hiring freeze announcement also dampened enthusiasm among those primed to expect continued rapid growth.

Advertisement

The number of mobile monthly active users soared 77 percent to 289 million. The number of overall annual active buyers increased 37 percent to 350 million.

The quarterly report card was only the third since Alibaba's record-breaking $25 billion IPO  in New York in September.

Up to Wednesday's close, the stock had fallen more than 33 percent since hitting a record high of $120 in November.

© Thomson Reuters 2015

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Alibaba, Internet
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OnePlus 16 Key Specifications Leaked Online 
  2. Motorola Edge 70 Neo India Launch Confirmed at IFA 2026
  3. Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra, Galaxy S27 Pro Reportedly Bag 3C Certification
  4. Tecno Camon Slim 5G With 6.59mm Thickness Announced: See Specifications
  5. Ai+ Nova 2 Power India Launch Confirmed; Key Specifications Teased
  6. Oppo Teases Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max 200-Megapixel Cameras
  7. Xiaomi 18 Fold Launched With 7.58-Inch Main Display, 6,000mAh Battery
  8. WhatsApp Could Soon Allow Non-Users to Join Calls
  9. This OnePlus Smartphone Could Launch in India This Month: Expected Price
  1. Xiaomi 18 Fold Launched With 7.58-Inch Main Display, 200-Megapixel Leica-Backed Camera: Price, Features
  2. Rocket Loses $287,000 in Attack Targeting Dormant Perpetual Market
  3. WhatsApp May Launch a Guest Calls Feature, Allowing People Without an Account to Join Calls
  4. Sony and Guerrilla Games Reportedly Working on a New Killzone Project
  5. Ai+ Nova 2 Power Confirmed to Launch in India Soon; Teased to Feature 7,000mAh Battery, MediaTek Dimensity 7100 SoC
  6. Ripple’s Swell 2026 to Feature Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan at Institutional Summit
  7. iQOO 16 Tipped to Launch in September With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Chip
  8. iQOO Pad Ultra Tipped to Launch With 8.8-Inch OLED Display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC, and More
  9. OnePlus 16 Tipped to Feature 9,000mAh Battery and 185Hz Display
  10. Samsung Galaxy A57, Galaxy A37 Prices Reportedly Hiked in India by Up to Rs 6,000: Here's What You Need to Know
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.