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Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) Profits Miss, But Revenue Rises

By U.S. News & World Report

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (ticker: BABA) reported its strongest revenue growth on Thursday morning since its initial public offering, but investors took the opportunity to lock in some gains after the stock’s tremendous 2017 run.

Alibaba’s 60 percent revenue growth in its fiscal fourth quarter is more than double the first-quarter growth rate of American rival Amazon.com Inc. ( AMZN), and the Chinese e-commerce market shows no sign of slowing down.

[See: 10 Ways to Play in the Asia-Pacific Stocks Pool.]

Alibaba reported total revenue of 38.58 billion yuan ($5.60 billion) in the quarter ending March 31, topping Wall Street analysts’ consensus forecast of 36 billion yuan. Net income nearly doubled during the quarter to 10.65 billion yuan (60 cents per American depository receipt) from 5.37 billion yuan in the same quarter a year ago.

On a per-share basis, Alibaba’s income of 4.35 yuan came up shy of average analyst estimates of 4.51 yuan. The income miss was partly due to an increase in the company’s effective tax rate, as well as large investments in cloud computing and video entertainment.

E-commerce revenue increased 47 percent to 31.57 billion yuan, while cloud computing revenue jumped 103 percent compared to a year ago.

[See: 7 Stocks to Buy for the Baby Boomer Retirement Wave.]

“We reported another excellent quarter, with revenue growth accelerating to 60 percent, the highest growth rate we’ve achieved since our IPO,” chief financial officer Maggie Wu said.

“Our robust results demonstrate the strength of our core business, as well as the positive momentum of our emerging businesses, including cloud computing, where we continue to see strong growth and market leadership.”

Alibaba also announced a $6 billion two-year share repurchase plan.

“We continue to see considerable value in the [sum-of-the-parts] and think that continued strength in commerce is the catalyst for unlocking value,” MKM Partners senior analyst Rob Sanderson said earlier this week.

[See: How to Invest in Esports: 7 Winning Stocks.]

Alibaba shares initially dipped more than 2 percent on Thursday but remain up more than 30 percent for the year.

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Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) Profits Miss, But Revenue Rises originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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