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 ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $156.1250.

Several analysts recently commented on NTES shares. Benchmark raised their price objective on NetEase from $145.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Barclays set a $135.00 price target on NetEase and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $155.00 price objective on NetEase in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen cut NetEase from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 23rd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Friday, November 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetEase

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTES. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 137.2% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 185 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in NetEase by 266.0% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 194 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in NetEase in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in NetEase during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of NetEase during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Stock Performance

NTES opened at $132.76 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $138.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.03. The firm has a market cap of $84.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.67. NetEase has a twelve month low of $88.54 and a twelve month high of $159.55.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. NetEase’s payout ratio is currently 28.99%.

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.