BABA vs TAL Stock Comparison

TAL currently leads BABA in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 52 vs 40. The clearest difference is quality, while BABA has the stronger risk resilience profile.

Market data as of Oct 31, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 12 points
BABA
Consumer Cyclical
vs
TAL
Consumer Defensive
BABA
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Price
$98.04
Day move
-1.51%
AIQ Score
40/100
Best edge
Risk Resilience
Sector
Consumer Cyclical
TAL
TAL Education Group
Leads
Price
$9.87
Day move
-2.66%
AIQ Score
52/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Consumer Defensive

What is the main difference between BABA and TAL?

TAL leads the current stock comparison as TAL Education Group, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Alibaba Group Holding Limited vs TAL Education Group

Data as of Oct 31, 2026· market close· Cross-sector · Consumer Cyclical vs Consumer Defensive · both in Asia Pacific — China· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 6/10

TAL leads

TAL leads by 12 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Value, but the lead has narrowed from 25 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors BABA on target upside.

Competitive: 4 of 6 evidence groups support TAL, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 4 of 6Comparison trend: Weakening
BABA

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

AIQ Score
40/100
AIQ Edge Score
3/10
TAL

TAL Education Group

Leads
AIQ Score
52/100
AIQ Edge Score
6/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors TAL over BABA, 52 versus 40 as of Oct 31, 2026. TAL's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and value, while BABA holds the stronger risk resilience profile. TAL also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors BABA. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor TAL today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. TAL lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 12 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Alibaba Group Holding Limited and TAL Education Group across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

BABA
-36.9%
TAL
+126.1%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

BABA $6,309 · TAL $22,607

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare BABA and TAL against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

BABA advantage
0
TAL advantage
  • Quality50 vs 78
    TAL +28
  • Value32 vs 55
    TAL +23
  • Risk Resilience54 vs 42
    BABA +12
  • Momentum29 vs 24
    BABA +5

4 of 6 evidence groups favor TAL. TAL’s edge is concentrated in quality and value; BABA keeps a meaningful risk resilience edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-28, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-27.

BABA+1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +4

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.

TAL0 AIQ

Largest factor move: Risk Resilience +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.

TAL's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — BABA and TAL both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

TAL (TAL Education Group): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and value.

BABA (Alibaba Group Holding Limited): the counter-case, on risk resilience, momentum, analyst expectations.

The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

TAL

TAL on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

TAL

TAL on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

TAL

TAL on the peer-relative Value factor, by 23 points.

Momentum

BABA

BABA on the Momentum factor, by 5 points.

Lower downside

BABA

BABA on Risk Resilience, by 12 points.

Analyst upside

BABA

BABA on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors TAL, analyst targets favor BABA. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureBABATALNote
Implied upside to target+81.7%+37.8%BABA has more room
Target dispersion+22.5%0%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering71Higher coverage generally improves confidence

The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor TAL. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreTAL40 vs 52
FundamentalsTALon balancerevenue growth 10.2% vs -6.1%; EPS growth -59.1% vs 64.4%; TTM ROE 7% vs 24.6%; gross margin 38.1% vs 56%; operating margin 4.2% vs 12.5% — TAL takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationTALValue 32 vs 55
TechnicalsTALPrice vs 50-day -11.6% vs -16.3%; vs 200-day -20.5% vs -9.5%
Risk ResilienceBABARisk Resilience 54 vs 42
Analyst expectationsBABATarget upside 81.7% vs 37.8%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of BABA and TAL and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is wide at 12 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on TAL.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 29 – Oct 28

TAL lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 12 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 29BABA leads above the line · TAL leads belowOct 28
Today
TAL +12
40 vs 52
7 sessions ago
TAL +14
38 vs 52
30 sessions ago
TAL +25
43 vs 68
90 sessions ago
TAL +14
43 vs 57

The lead has not changed hands in this window.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

BABA

0 bullish / 4 bearish

Only BABA

  • Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (14.45%)
  • Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
TALConflicted

2 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted

Only TAL

  • Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.14%)
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.90%)
  • RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon

Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Keltner Channel Breakdown, MACD Bearish Crossover.

TAL leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

BABADivergence

Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -1.51%, AIQ +1 points).

TALNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -2.66%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1BABA closes the Quality gap — currently 28 points behind, the largest single contributor to TAL's edge.
  2. 2BABA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3TAL's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 13 points over 30 sessions, and a further 12-point move would eliminate TAL's advantage entirely.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

TAL leads on balance
MetricBABATAL
Revenue growth (YoY)10.2%-6.1%
EPS growth (YoY)-59.1%64.4%
Gross margin38.1%56%
Operating margin4.2%12.5%
Return on equity (TTM)7%24.6%
Debt to equity0.250.1

Performance

Split across windows
MetricBABATAL
1 week (5 sessions)-3.3%-4.6%
1 month (20 sessions)-6.1%-16.7%
3 months (63 sessions)-13.2%-18.5%
6 months (126 sessions)-22.6%-7.3%
Year to date-31.1%-7.8%
1 year (252 sessions)-42.2%-19.7%

Technicals

TAL has the stronger structure
MetricBABATAL
RSI (14)37.915
ADX (14)15.628.6
Price vs 50-day-11.6%-16.3%
Price vs 200-day-20.5%-9.5%
Volatility (1M, annualized)34.4%41.5%

Risk

BABA is the more resilient
MetricBABATAL
Beta1.120.6
Sharpe ratio-1.29-0.31
Sortino ratio-2.32-0.55
Max drawdown-47.3%-30.7%
Current drawdown-43.9%-22.1%
Annualized volatility40.4%44.9%
Value at risk (95%)-3.5%-3.7%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, BABA or TAL?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, TAL is the stronger of the two as of Oct 31, 2026, scoring 52 against BABA's 40. The edge comes from quality and value. BABA is not without a case — it holds the better risk resilience profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is BABA or TAL the better buy right now?

TAL carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 31, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor TAL over BABA?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. TAL leads Quality by 28 points; TAL leads Value by 23 points; BABA leads Risk Resilience by 12 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, BABA or TAL?

Analyst price targets imply +81.7% upside for BABA and +37.8% for TAL, so the Street currently favors BABA. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors TAL. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, BABA or TAL?

TAL is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. TAL on the peer-relative Value factor, by 23 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, BABA or TAL?

TAL on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, BABA or TAL?

BABA on the Momentum factor, by 5 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, BABA or TAL?

BABA is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. BABA on Risk Resilience, by 12 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is BABA more profitable than TAL?

TAL leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 38.1% vs 56%; operating margin 4.2% vs 12.5%; ttm roe 7% vs 24.6%.

Is TAL's lead over BABA getting stronger or weaker?

TAL lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 25 to 12 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-29 and 2026-10-28. The lead has not changed hands in that window.

What would change the BABA vs TAL verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: BABA closes the Quality gap — currently 28 points behind, the largest single contributor to TAL's edge; BABA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; TAL's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 13 points over 30 sessions, and a further 12-point move would eliminate TAL's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about BABA and TAL?

BABA: 0 bullish / 4 bearish. TAL: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on BABA is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On TAL it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare BABA and TAL with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.