Credit: Image source: YCharts.
Image source: YCharts.
So how well can we expect these two companies to perform over the coming years? Let's take a quick look at how the companies are doing now and see if the good times will keep coming.
Amazon vs. Baidu
Baidu brought in $2.7 billion in total revenue in the second quarter of 2016, representing a 10.2% year-over-year increase. While that's not stellar growth, the company's large size and overall stability mean that revenues are stable, as opposed to skyrocketing. It's worth pointing out that the company's annual revenues are growing at a healthy pace, with 2015 revenues hitting $10.25 billion, up from $7.91 billion in 2014.
The vast majority of Baidu's revenue comes from its online marketing and advertising. It's not a bad way to earn a buck -- just ask Google -- and Baidu is pretty good at it. The company does face some competition in the space though as Chinese e-tailer Alibaba is expected to surpass Baidu's digital ad market share this year.
Part of Alibaba's gain on Baidu comes from new advertising regulations that were recently put into place in China (some of Baidu's previous ads weren't clearly marked as such, and looked like normal search results). That has given some of Baidu's competitors a leg up in the digital advertising space and will hurt the company's ad revenue growth this year. It's expected to grow at just 0.3% compared to Alibaba's 54%.
For Amazon, net sales reached $30.4 billion in Q2 2016, up 31% year over year. And in 2015, the company's revenue grew at a healthy clip of 20% year over year. Aside from strong revenue growth, the company continually invests in potential revenue streams including tech devices, media content, fashion merchandise, everyday essential products, and auto parts. These often result in changes that fuel Amazon's competitive advantage. Add Amazon's estimated 63 million Prime members to all that, and the company's moat becomes even wider.
When it comes to valuations, Amazon's forward P/E (a valuation based on projected earnings) is currently sitting at around 77 and Baidu's is at about 30. That puts Amazon's stock price at a higher premium than Baidu's at the moment.
Which is best?
As for the better long-term investment, I'd have to go with Amazon. Baidu's internet search dominance likely won't disappear any time soon, nor will Amazon's online retail position. Both companies will continually expand into new endeavors and their investors will likely benefit from it.
But Baidu's recent problem of displaying ads that look like search results is hurting revenue growth right now and helping its competitors muscle into the space .
Baidu will likely bounce back from all of this over the long term, but it's enough to hurt the company over the coming quarters, and gives Amazon the slight advantage in this head-to-head comparison.
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Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com and Baidu. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
