NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $153.8889.

NTES has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Nomura lowered their price objective on shares of NetEase from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of NetEase from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of NetEase in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

NetEase Price Performance

NTES opened at $118.37 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $114.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.60. NetEase has a fifty-two week low of $103.22 and a fifty-two week high of $159.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.72.

NetEase Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This is an increase from NetEase’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.08%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetEase

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in NetEase by 68,860.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 8,551,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,299,684,000 after purchasing an additional 8,538,717 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in NetEase by 4.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,133,052 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $172,213,000 after purchasing an additional 50,861 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in NetEase by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,088,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $149,825,000 after purchasing an additional 5,600 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its stake in NetEase by 7.3% in the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,055,122 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $160,368,000 after purchasing an additional 71,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of NetEase by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 923,326 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $127,274,000 after acquiring an additional 81,703 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Company Profile

NetEase, Inc (NASDAQ: NTES) is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Hangzhou that develops and operates Internet services and products. Founded in 1997 by William Ding (Ding Lei), the company has grown from an early web portal and e-mail provider into a diversified online services group. William Ding has served as the company’s founder and long-time leader, guiding its expansion into games, digital content and consumer services.

The company’s primary business is interactive entertainment: NetEase Games designs, develops and publishes PC and mobile games for domestic and international audiences, offering a mix of self-developed franchises and titles published under licensing and strategic partnerships.