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JD.com vs. Sea Limited: Which E Commerce Stock Has More Upside Ahead?
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Key Takeaways
JD targets long-term growth through logistics, tech and category expansion despite near-term EPS pressure.
Zacks expects 105.56% EPS growth for SE in Q3 2025, fueled by Shopee momentum and fintech-driven synergies.
SE shares rose 53.3% YTD vs. JD's 5.5% drop, reflecting differing market responses to their growth strategies.
JD.com (JD - Free Report) and Sea Limited (SE - Free Report) have evolved into leading global digital commerce platforms. Each has built an ecosystem that extends beyond retail. JD.com combines e-commerce through JD Retail, logistics via JD Logistics and digital finance through JD Pay. Sea Limited’s platform spans Shopee in e-commerce, Monee in fintech and Garena in online gaming. Both are investing heavily in technology, supply chain innovation and ecosystem synergies to drive the next phase of sustainable growth.
Despite their shared focus on diversification and efficiency, the two companies operate on different strategic planes. JD remains rooted in a mature retail infrastructure optimised for scale and operational precision, while SE continues to capture high-growth opportunities across emerging markets with a diversified digital platform. The distinction lies not in ambition but in positioning, and that difference could determine where investors find greater upside ahead. Let’s delve deep and closely compare the two stocks to determine which one presents the stronger investment case.
The Case for JD
JD.com continues to reinforce its position as one of China’s most trusted and operationally disciplined e-commerce platforms. Its ecosystem spans online retail, logistics and fintech, supported by an in-house supply chain that ensures product authenticity, fast delivery and service reliability. The company is steadily expanding into new categories, such as groceries, healthcare and third-party marketplace services, while leveraging its logistics and technology arms to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JD’s third-quarter 2025 total revenues is pegged at $41.21 billion, indicating 11.06% year-over-year growth, supported by category expansion, resilient consumer demand and rising contribution from logistics and marketplace services. The consensus mark for third quarter EPS is pegged at 44 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and indicating a 64.52% year-over-year decline, as JD continues to reinvest in logistics capacity, technology infrastructure and customer acquisition to strengthen its long-term growth base. These initiatives, while weighing on near-term profitability, are strengthening JD’s long-term growth foundation and reinforcing its competitive advantage in China’s evolving e-commerce landscape.
While profitability may remain constrained in the near term, JD’s disciplined execution, scale advantages and technology-driven fulfilment network provide a strong platform for sustainable recovery. With improving consumer sentiment, deepening ecosystem integration and expanding value-added services, JD is well-positioned to capture the next phase of growth in China’s digital commerce market.
The Case for SE
Sea Limited continues to strengthen its position as a leading digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia and Latin America, anchored by its three complementary engines, e-commerce (Shopee), digital financial services (SeaMoney) and digital entertainment (Garena). SE’s diversified model enables strong cross-platform synergies, balancing growth and profitability across multiple verticals.
Shopee remains the primary growth driver, supported by higher order frequency, rising advertising adoption and improved logistics efficiency. SeaMoney continues to expand rapidly through payments, credit and merchant services, leveraging Shopee’s ecosystem to deepen user engagement. Garena remains a stable contributor, generating healthy cash flows that support investment in the group’s growth initiatives.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sea Limited’s third-quarter revenues is pegged at $5.84 billion, indicating 36.81% year-over-year growth, driven by continued momentum in Shopee and SeaMoney. The consensus mark for third-quarter EPS is pegged at $1.11 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and up 105.56% year over year, reflecting effective cost control and improving operating leverage across business lines.
With disciplined execution, a scalable business model and expanding fintech penetration, Sea Limited is positioned to sustain healthy growth while steadily improving profitability across its core markets.
Price Performance and Valuation of JD and SE
In the year-to-date period, Sea Limited shares have advanced 53.3%, significantly outperforming JD.com’s 5.5% decline. SE’s strong performance mirrors robust execution across Shopee and SeaMoney, efficient cost management and accelerating earnings momentum. JD’s softer showing, on the other hand, reflects near-term margin pressure from reinvestment in logistics, technology and customer acquisition, even as its revenue base continues to expand.
JD vs SE YTD Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
On a forward 12-month basis, Sea Limited trades at 29.03X earnings, while JD.com trades at 9.62X. SE’s premium valuation reflects investor confidence in its improving profitability, expanding fintech footprint and strong execution across Shopee and SeaMoney. JD’s lower multiple, meanwhile, captures near-term earnings pressure from continued reinvestment and subdued consumption trends in China. Given SE’s accelerating growth trajectory and clearer earnings visibility, its higher valuation appears more justified relative to JD’s slower recovery pace.
JD vs. SE- Price/Earnings (F12M)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion
Both JD.com and Sea Limited are executing well within their respective markets, but their trajectories differ meaningfully. JD’s disciplined expansion and strong logistics infrastructure underpin its long-term potential, though near-term profitability remains constrained by reinvestment and a slower recovery in Chinese consumer spending. Sea Limited, by contrast, is demonstrating sharper earnings momentum, improved cost control and a balanced growth mix across Shopee and SeaMoney, supported by its expanding fintech penetration and operating leverage. With a more diversified regional footprint and a stronger profitability trend, Sea Limited’s execution strength and improving earnings visibility give it an edge over JD.com at present. JD and SE carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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JD.com vs. Sea Limited: Which E Commerce Stock Has More Upside Ahead?
Key Takeaways
JD.com (JD - Free Report) and Sea Limited (SE - Free Report) have evolved into leading global digital commerce platforms. Each has built an ecosystem that extends beyond retail. JD.com combines e-commerce through JD Retail, logistics via JD Logistics and digital finance through JD Pay. Sea Limited’s platform spans Shopee in e-commerce, Monee in fintech and Garena in online gaming. Both are investing heavily in technology, supply chain innovation and ecosystem synergies to drive the next phase of sustainable growth.
Despite their shared focus on diversification and efficiency, the two companies operate on different strategic planes. JD remains rooted in a mature retail infrastructure optimised for scale and operational precision, while SE continues to capture high-growth opportunities across emerging markets with a diversified digital platform. The distinction lies not in ambition but in positioning, and that difference could determine where investors find greater upside ahead. Let’s delve deep and closely compare the two stocks to determine which one presents the stronger investment case.
The Case for JD
JD.com continues to reinforce its position as one of China’s most trusted and operationally disciplined e-commerce platforms. Its ecosystem spans online retail, logistics and fintech, supported by an in-house supply chain that ensures product authenticity, fast delivery and service reliability. The company is steadily expanding into new categories, such as groceries, healthcare and third-party marketplace services, while leveraging its logistics and technology arms to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JD’s third-quarter 2025 total revenues is pegged at $41.21 billion, indicating 11.06% year-over-year growth, supported by category expansion, resilient consumer demand and rising contribution from logistics and marketplace services. The consensus mark for third quarter EPS is pegged at 44 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and indicating a 64.52% year-over-year decline, as JD continues to reinvest in logistics capacity, technology infrastructure and customer acquisition to strengthen its long-term growth base. These initiatives, while weighing on near-term profitability, are strengthening JD’s long-term growth foundation and reinforcing its competitive advantage in China’s evolving e-commerce landscape.
JD.com, Inc. Price and Consensus
JD.com, Inc. price-consensus-chart | JD.com, Inc. Quote
While profitability may remain constrained in the near term, JD’s disciplined execution, scale advantages and technology-driven fulfilment network provide a strong platform for sustainable recovery. With improving consumer sentiment, deepening ecosystem integration and expanding value-added services, JD is well-positioned to capture the next phase of growth in China’s digital commerce market.
The Case for SE
Sea Limited continues to strengthen its position as a leading digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia and Latin America, anchored by its three complementary engines, e-commerce (Shopee), digital financial services (SeaMoney) and digital entertainment (Garena). SE’s diversified model enables strong cross-platform synergies, balancing growth and profitability across multiple verticals.
Shopee remains the primary growth driver, supported by higher order frequency, rising advertising adoption and improved logistics efficiency. SeaMoney continues to expand rapidly through payments, credit and merchant services, leveraging Shopee’s ecosystem to deepen user engagement. Garena remains a stable contributor, generating healthy cash flows that support investment in the group’s growth initiatives.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sea Limited’s third-quarter revenues is pegged at $5.84 billion, indicating 36.81% year-over-year growth, driven by continued momentum in Shopee and SeaMoney. The consensus mark for third-quarter EPS is pegged at $1.11 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and up 105.56% year over year, reflecting effective cost control and improving operating leverage across business lines.
Sea Limited Sponsored ADR Price and Consensus
Sea Limited Sponsored ADR price-consensus-chart | Sea Limited Sponsored ADR Quote
With disciplined execution, a scalable business model and expanding fintech penetration, Sea Limited is positioned to sustain healthy growth while steadily improving profitability across its core markets.
Price Performance and Valuation of JD and SE
In the year-to-date period, Sea Limited shares have advanced 53.3%, significantly outperforming JD.com’s 5.5% decline. SE’s strong performance mirrors robust execution across Shopee and SeaMoney, efficient cost management and accelerating earnings momentum. JD’s softer showing, on the other hand, reflects near-term margin pressure from reinvestment in logistics, technology and customer acquisition, even as its revenue base continues to expand.
JD vs SE YTD Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
On a forward 12-month basis, Sea Limited trades at 29.03X earnings, while JD.com trades at 9.62X. SE’s premium valuation reflects investor confidence in its improving profitability, expanding fintech footprint and strong execution across Shopee and SeaMoney. JD’s lower multiple, meanwhile, captures near-term earnings pressure from continued reinvestment and subdued consumption trends in China. Given SE’s accelerating growth trajectory and clearer earnings visibility, its higher valuation appears more justified relative to JD’s slower recovery pace.
JD vs. SE- Price/Earnings (F12M)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion
Both JD.com and Sea Limited are executing well within their respective markets, but their trajectories differ meaningfully. JD’s disciplined expansion and strong logistics infrastructure underpin its long-term potential, though near-term profitability remains constrained by reinvestment and a slower recovery in Chinese consumer spending. Sea Limited, by contrast, is demonstrating sharper earnings momentum, improved cost control and a balanced growth mix across Shopee and SeaMoney, supported by its expanding fintech penetration and operating leverage. With a more diversified regional footprint and a stronger profitability trend, Sea Limited’s execution strength and improving earnings visibility give it an edge over JD.com at present. JD and SE carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.