Alibaba-W (09988.HK) announced its second fiscal quarter results ending September 30, with a net profit attributable to ordinary shareholders of 43.874 billion yuan, up 58.4% year-on-year; diluted eps was 2.27 yuan, and diluted earnings per american depositary share was 18.17 yuan. The group explained that this was mainly due to the changes in the value of held private equity, a decrease in investment impairment, and an increase in operational profit.

Under Non-GAAP, the net profit for the second fiscal quarter recorded 36.518 billion yuan, down 9.1% year-on-year, which met the forecast range of 35.311 billion to 42.415 billion yuan from a consensus of nine brokerages, lower than the median forecast of 37.6 billion yuan. Non-GAAP diluted eps and earnings per american depositary share were 1.88 and 15.06 yuan respectively.

Adjusted EBITA fell 5.3% year-on-year to 40.561 billion yuan, also meeting the forecast range of 38.322 billion to 40.894 billion yuan from a consensus of fifteen brokerages, slightly above the median forecast of 40.4 billion yuan. This was mainly attributed to increased investment in the e-commerce business during the period, partially offset by revenue growth and improved operational efficiency.

In the second fiscal quarter, Alibaba recorded revenue of 236.503 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%, compared to the forecast of fifteen brokerages ranging from 235.502 billion to 245.301 billion yuan, lower than the median forecast of 238.713 billion yuan.

By business segment, Taotian Group's revenue grew by 1% to 98.994 billion yuan; International Digital Business Group's revenue grew by 29% to 31.672 billion yuan; Local Life Group's revenue grew by 14% to 17.725 billion yuan. Cainiao and Cloud Smart Group's revenues increased by 8% and 7% respectively, reaching about 24.647 billion and 29.61 billion yuan. However, the revenue of the Entertainment Group fell by 1% to 5.694 billion yuan.

Alibaba (BABA.US) rose 5.2% in pre-market trading, priced at $95.3.