Baidu, Inc. $BIDU Shares Sold by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,983 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 23,932 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Baidu were worth $657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BIDU. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its stake in Baidu by 1.4% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 12,116,750 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,039,132,000 after purchasing an additional 170,414 shares during the last quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Baidu by 161.6% in the 2nd quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC now owns 1,258,856 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $107,959,000 after buying an additional 777,570 shares during the last quarter. Polunin Capital Partners Ltd raised its stake in Baidu by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Polunin Capital Partners Ltd now owns 412,368 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $58,556,000 after acquiring an additional 68,496 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Baidu by 28.9% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 366,002 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,388,000 after acquiring an additional 82,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new position in Baidu in the third quarter valued at $42,430,000.

Baidu Trading Up 0.1%

NASDAQ BIDU opened at $149.53 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.68 and a beta of 0.30. Baidu, Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.71 and a 52-week high of $154.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $128.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Macquarie upgraded Baidu from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $91.00 to $176.00 in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Nomura Securities raised Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Baidu from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Nomura raised their target price on shares of Baidu from $140.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $215.00 price target on shares of Baidu in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.06.

Baidu Profile

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.