Alibaba’s (BABA) Short-Term Capex Drag Creates a 30% Valuation Discount

Alluvium Asset Management, an asset management company, released its "Conventum – Alluvium Global Fund" second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here . The second quarter reflected a sharp shift from geopolitical uncertainty and oil market volatility to a powerful equity rally led by semiconductor companies. Despite the broader market strength, the Fund declined 1.4% in EUR terms, 2.2% in USD terms, and 3.9% in AUD terms. Portfolio results were mixed, with Alphabet benefiting from strong Cloud growth, while Robert Half, H&R Block and other holdings posted solid gains. However, cable businesses and several healthcare and consumer holdings weighed on performance. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.

In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Conventum – Alluvium Global Fund highlighted Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA ). Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is a Chinese multinational company that focuses on cloud computing, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence. On September 14, 2026, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) closed at $109.23 per share. Over the past month, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) declined 14.03%, and its shares lost 32.08% over the past 52 weeks. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has a market capitalization of $268.48 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $91.99 and $192.67.

Conventum – Alluvium Global Fund stated the following regarding Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was down 21.3%. Its results were all about AI, and how its investments are paying off, and management's confidence to make further investments. So the only disappointing news (if you can call it that), was that free cash is being chewed up by capital expenses to the point where it has become negative. The results were generally well received. Share price fluctuations are par for the course, especially for Alibaba. We are not fussed. As a consequence of the falling share price, its maintainable earnings yield (on our numbers) has increased to 7.7% and it is trading at a circa 30% discount to our valuation. The Fund's current position is 2.6%."

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA ) ranks 30 on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds . As per our database, 97 hedge fund portfolios held Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) at the end of the second quarter which was 102 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock .