How to buy Alibaba shares

Alibaba shares have increased 0.44% from yesterday's closing price ($86.9). Learn how to easily invest in Alibaba shares in the UK.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) is a publicly traded internet retail business based in China. It opened the day at $85.87 after a previous close of $86.52. During the day the price has varied from a low of $85.63 to a high of $88.11. The latest price was $86.9 (25 minute delay). Alibaba is listed on the NYSE and employs 239,740 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.

How to buy shares in Alibaba

  1. Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
  2. Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
  3. Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
  4. Search the platform for stock code: BABA in this case.
  5. Research Alibaba shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
  6. Buy your Alibaba shares. It's that simple.
The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes. You'll need a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, your passport or driving licence and a means of payment.
Our top picks for where to buy Alibaba shares:

Best for

Beginner investments

IG Share Dealing image

Fees for buying 10x Alibaba shares with popular platforms

Both exchange rates and share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs presented here should be considered as a guide only. They do not incorporate stamp duty. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing – which may differ from our information.

Platform Customer rating Platform fee Min. initial deposit Trading fee estimate
Freetrade logo ★★★★★ £0 £1 £3.20
£713.60 total
Capital at risk
eToro Free Stocks logo ★★★★★ £0 $50 £3.55
£713.96 total
Capital at risk
IG Share Dealing logo ★★★★★ £0 £250 £11.77
£722.18 total
Capital at risk
CMC Invest logo Not yet rated £0 No minimum £3.55
£713.96 total
Capital at risk
Fineco logo ★★★★★ £0 No minimum £7.10
£717.51 total
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account logo ★★★★★ £0 £1 £19.05
£729.46 total
Capital at risk
Degiro Share Dealing logo ★★★★★ £0 £0.01 £0.71
£711.12 total
Capital at risk

Full comparison of share dealing platforms

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Alternative ways to invest in Alibaba

Latest updates for Alibaba

February 22, 2023: We're expecting Alibaba to release an earnings report on February 23, 2023. Analyst predictions suggest that it will have an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.29 (£0.24).

Is it a good time to buy Alibaba stock?

Only you can make the decision on the time to leap. The gauge below shows real-time ratings that are based on 26 popular indicators such as moving averages, for specific time periods. It's not a recommendation but is simply technical analysis that can form part of your research.

Finder might not agree with the analysis and we take no responsibility. We also give no representations or warranty on the accuracy or completeness of the information provided on this page.

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Invest in Alibaba shares

  • Start investing from $50
  • Pay no stamp duty on UK shares
  • Commission-free trading. Other fees may apply.

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Is Alibaba under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value. Check out the Alibaba P/E ratio, PEG ratio and EBITDA

Alibaba's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 48x. In other words, Alibaba shares trade at around 48x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

However, Alibaba's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the internet retail industry or those of similar companies.

Alibaba's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.1872. A PEG ratio close to 1 can be interpreted as meaning shares offer reasonable value for the current rate of growth.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Alibaba's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

However, it's sensible to consider Alibaba's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.

Alibaba's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $154.9 billion (£126.6 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Alibaba's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

To put that into context you can compare it against similar companies.

What's Alibaba's ESG track record?

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Alibaba.

Overall Alibaba ESG score

Alibaba's total ESG risk: 28.21

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Alibaba's overall score of 28.21 (as at 01/01/2019) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 37th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Alibaba is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

To gain some more context, you can compare Alibaba's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.

Alibaba's environmental score: 4.34/100

Alibaba's environmental score of 4.34 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Alibaba is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Alibaba's social score: 15.2/100

Alibaba's social score of 15.2 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Alibaba is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Alibaba's governance score: 10.67/100

Alibaba's governance score puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Alibaba is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Alibaba's controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, Alibaba scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that Alibaba has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.

Frequently asked questions

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

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