Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $104.6364.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BIDU shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Baidu from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Baidu from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Baidu from $84.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Baidu from $120.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baidu

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marex Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Baidu during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,200,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Baidu by 371.4% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 87,448 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,500,000 after purchasing an additional 119,671 shares during the last quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. increased its position in shares of Baidu by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 167,582 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $14,370,000 after purchasing an additional 17,575 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Baidu by 4,715.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 14,543 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 14,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Baidu during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000.

Baidu Stock Performance

Shares of Baidu stock opened at $87.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.07 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $87.65 and its 200 day moving average is $88.44. Baidu has a 1 year low of $74.71 and a 1 year high of $116.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.29.

Baidu Company Profile

Baidu, Inc engages in the provision of internet search services in China. It operates through two segments: Baidu Core and iQIYI. The company offers Baidu App to access search, feed, and other services using mobile devices; Baidu Search to access its search and other services; Baidu Feed that provides users with personalized timeline based on their demographics and interests; Baidu Health that helps users to find the doctor and hospital for healthcare needs; and Haokan, a short video app.