NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $153.8889.

Several research firms have issued reports on NTES. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of NetEase from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of NetEase in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut NetEase from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd.

NetEase Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NetEase stock opened at $116.27 on Friday. NetEase has a 1 year low of $88.54 and a 1 year high of $159.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.27. The company has a market cap of $73.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.74.

NetEase Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is a boost from NetEase’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTES. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in NetEase by 68,860.6% in 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 valued at $1,299,684,000 after buying an additional 8,538,717 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of NetEase by 1,636.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 662,557 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $100,702,000 after buying an additional 624,399 shares in the last quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new position in shares of NetEase during the 4th quarter worth about $44,214,000. Man Group plc boosted its position in shares of NetEase by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 983,156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $132,313,000 after acquiring an additional 245,872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of NetEase by 44.6% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 638,315 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $97,017,000 after acquiring an additional 196,821 shares in the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.