Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $154.8889.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BIDU. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baidu in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research lowered Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Baidu from $140.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Baidu from $124.00 to $96.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baidu

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Baidu by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,709,426 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $354,014,000 after buying an additional 745,588 shares during the period. RPD Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Baidu by 161.6% during the second quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC now owns 1,258,856 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $107,959,000 after purchasing an additional 777,570 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in shares of Baidu by 307.9% in the 2nd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,209,089 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $138,187,000 after buying an additional 912,638 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Baidu by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,182,857 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $154,552,000 after buying an additional 205,040 shares during the period. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baidu by 127.8% in the fourth quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 1,157,878 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $151,288,000 after buying an additional 649,490 shares during the period.

Baidu Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of BIDU opened at $99.47 on Tuesday. Baidu has a 12 month low of $89.60 and a 12 month high of $165.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $105.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 2.33. The stock has a market cap of $33.84 billion, a PE ratio of -47.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.57.

About Baidu

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.