Alibaba plans to list its cloud computing division because quarterly revenue is above expectations

Alibaba announced plans to spin off its cloud division as a separate, publicly traded company, while the e-commerce giant’s quarterly revenue did not exceed expectations.

“We are taking concrete steps toward unlocking value from our business and are pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has approved a full spin-off of the Cloud Intelligence Group via a dividend distribution to shareholders, with the intent of becoming an independent, publicly listed company,” said Daniel Chang, the company’s CEO.

Alibaba shares were down 1% in US pre-market trading as of 12:38pm London time.

Here’s what Alibaba did in the quarter that ended March 31, 2022, compared to Refinitiv consensus estimates:

• he won: 208.2 billion yuan ($29.6 billion) vs. 210.2 billion yuan expected, up 2% year-on-year;
• Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share: 1.34 yuan vs. 2.08 yuan expected, up 35% year on year

The report is Alibaba’s first since it split into six units and is also the first whose numbers reflect China’s reopening. The country abruptly ended in December its strict Covid controls, such as lockdowns and travel restrictions.

In its report on Thursday, Alibaba said it plans to spin off its cloud division as a newly listed company, subject to restructuring of certain assets, liabilities, contracts and regulatory approvals.

Alibaba is a major player in cloud computing in its home country and is increasingly seeking to compete with US giants, such as Amazon and Microsoft.

The company also announced plans to raise money from outside investors for the international digital trade group, which includes online shopping platforms Lazada and AliExpress.

Alibaba also said it intends to launch an initial public offering of its Cainiao Smart Logistics unit, in which it currently owns a 67% stake. The IPO is scheduled to be completed within the next 12 to 18 months.

The company said Alibaba’s board has agreed to begin an exploration to list Freshippo’s retail business in the next six to 12 months.

The year got off to a lukewarm start, as overall sales of online physical goods remained weak, the heads of major e-commerce platforms suggested in February.

Retail sales in China rose 18.4% in April, according to the latest economic data. China’s economy grew 4.5% in the first quarter, its fastest pace in a year. The performance was expected to boost Alibaba’s sales.

The company operates two of the largest online shopping sites in China: Taobao and Tmall. Despite high competition, Alibaba’s results remain an important indicator of the world’s second largest economy.

China generates nearly 50% of the world’s online shopping transactions.

Thursday’s earnings numbers were the first since Alibaba announced a fundamental overhaul of its organization, splitting the company into several distinct units in a development many analysts interpreted as indicating an easing of Beijing’s crackdown on technology companies.

The new corporate structure is divided into six divisions: Cloud Intelligence Group, Taobao Tmall Commerce Group, Local Services Group, Cainiao Smart Logistics, Global Digital Commerce Group, and Digital Media and Entertainment Group.

Meanwhile, China’s regulatory tightening on technology in the past two years has begun to wane, as Beijing’s enforcement of rules has become more predictable.

Some investors are betting on a strong recovery for China’s tech giants. On Tuesday, Michael Berry of The Big Short fame boosted his bets on Chinese e-commerce companies Alibaba and JD.com, doubling his stake in Alibaba to $10.2 billion and his acquisition of JD.com to $11 million.

Investors have been looking for any comment Alibaba makes on AI. The company is working on its own ChatGPT-style product, called Tongyi Qianwen.

On Wednesday, Tencent president Martin Lau said the company is “making good progress” in building out the foundation models, the systems that support chatbots like ChatGPT, after the company reported a strong rebound in revenue.