Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $158.0526.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BIDU. China Renaissance raised shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $134.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Baidu in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zephirin Group boosted their target price on Baidu from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Baidu from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Baidu in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $161.00 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baidu

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Baidu by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 20,112 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,628,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in shares of Baidu by 1.7% in the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 5,144 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Baidu by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,378 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc increased its stake in Baidu by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,634 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Baidu by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 428 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter.

Baidu Stock Performance

NASDAQ BIDU opened at $110.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.79 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $129.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.64. Baidu has a 12 month low of $74.71 and a 12 month high of $165.30.

Baidu Company 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.