Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Upgraded to “Buy” at China Renaissance

China Renaissance upgraded shares of Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning,MarketScreener reports. China Renaissance currently has $180.00 price target on the information services provider’s stock, up from their previous price target of $134.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Baidu from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $110.00 to $188.00 in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Baidu from $100.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Nomura raised their price target on shares of Baidu from $178.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. National Bankshares raised Baidu to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baidu presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $157.05.

Baidu Stock Down 2.5%

NASDAQ BIDU opened at $144.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $136.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.39. Baidu has a 1-year low of $74.71 and a 1-year high of $165.30. The company has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.13 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baidu

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position 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 buying an additional 170,414 shares in the last quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 777,570 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of Baidu during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $165,334,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Baidu by 106.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,129,272 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $148,804,000 after purchasing an additional 582,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Baidu by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 977,817 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $128,847,000 after acquiring an additional 5,343 shares in the last quarter.

Baidu News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China Renaissance upgraded Baidu from “hold” to “buy” and raised its price target to $180 (from $134), signaling ~26% upside from recent levels — a clear near-term bullish catalyst that can support investor sentiment and buying interest. China Renaissance Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analysis highlights Baidu’s autonomous-driving and AI initiatives as reshaping the growth and valuation debate — if execution continues, these longer-term streams (cloud, AI services, Apollo/self-driving) could justify higher multiples. Autonomous Driving Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary frames Baidu as still attractive after a large one‑year rebound and as a potential future dividend compounder — narratives that can attract income- and value-oriented buyers if earnings and free cash flow trends stay supportive. Valuation Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest entries show effectively zero reported short volume in early February — likely a data/filing artifact rather than a meaningful change to bearish positioning; it does not appear to be driving price action. (Internal short-interest records)
• Neutral Sentiment: Retrospectives noting strong 1‑year performance (≈69–75% gains) highlight momentum but also raise valuation questions given a P/E near 48; investors should weigh growth outlook vs current multiples. Performance Recap
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: Alibaba announced a large AI marketing/incentive campaign (~¥3bn / $431M) for its Qwen chatbot during Lunar New Year, outspending Baidu’s promotions — increased marketing and product push from Alibaba could pressure Baidu’s chatbot/user share expansion and near-term monetization. Alibaba AI Spend
• Negative Sentiment: Market/sentiment pressure: coverage noting intraday declines and a recent pullback reflects short-term profit-taking amid a broader market uptick — technical factors (recent run-up, faster-than-average daily volume) can exacerbate declines. Zacks Price Note

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.