NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NTES shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $155.00 price target on shares of NetEase in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Benchmark increased their price target on NetEase from $145.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays set a $135.00 price objective on NetEase and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded NetEase from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $161.00 target price on NetEase and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th.

Institutional Trading of NetEase

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of NetEase by 68,860.6% during the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 8,538,717 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in NetEase by 1,636.4% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 662,557 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $100,702,000 after purchasing an additional 624,399 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its stake in NetEase by 33.3% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 983,156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $132,313,000 after purchasing an additional 245,872 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 44.6% in the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 638,315 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $97,017,000 after purchasing an additional 196,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tiger Pacific Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of NetEase in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,993,000. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTES opened at $137.62 on Friday. NetEase has a 52 week low of $87.67 and a 52 week high of $159.55. The firm has a market cap of $87.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.03.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.