Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $146.1111.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Baidu from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Baidu from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Benchmark raised their price target on Baidu from $115.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Dbs Bank raised Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Baidu from $81.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BIDU. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Baidu by 28.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 160,713 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $14,791,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK acquired a new position in Baidu during the second quarter worth $1,715,000. Fluent Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Baidu by 16.2% during the second quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 23,606 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 3,286 shares during the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its position in Baidu by 129.4% in the second quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 294,447 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $25,252,000 after purchasing an additional 166,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenwood Capital Associates LLC increased its stake in Baidu by 36.9% in the 2nd quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 38,976 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,343,000 after buying an additional 10,501 shares during the last quarter.

Baidu Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ BIDU opened at $126.81 on Thursday. Baidu has a 1 year low of $74.71 and a 1 year high of $149.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $121.91 and its 200-day moving average is $108.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.81 billion, a PE ratio of 42.13 and a beta of 0.44.

Baidu Company Profile

Baidu, Inc, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Beijing, is a Chinese multinational technology company best known for operating one of China’s leading internet search engines. The company built its business around online search and related advertising services, providing search, content aggregation and targeted ad placements to consumers and marketers across China. Baidu went public on the NASDAQ in 2005 and has since diversified beyond search into a broader technology and AI-focused portfolio.

Core products and services include the Baidu search platform and mobile app, Baidu Maps and Baidu Baike (an online encyclopedia), along with digital content initiatives.