Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Invests $738,000 in NetEase, Inc. $NTES

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,855 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $738,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of NetEase by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 6,296,150 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $956,952,000 after purchasing an additional 28,381 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 2.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,977,146 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $266,084,000 after purchasing an additional 40,871 shares during the period. Man Group plc grew its position in NetEase by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 983,156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $132,313,000 after buying an additional 245,872 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in NetEase by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 748,450 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $100,726,000 after buying an additional 122,951 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in NetEase by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 512,115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $68,920,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the period. 11.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NetEase Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NTES opened at $120.61 on Friday. NetEase, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.54 and a twelve month high of $159.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $134.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.05.

NetEase Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is a boost from NetEase’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Nomura dropped their target price on NetEase from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays cut their target price on NetEase from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $155.00 price target on NetEase in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NetEase presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.67.

NetEase News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NetEase this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Big dividend hike: NetEase declared a quarterly dividend of $1.16 (record date Mar 16, pay Mar 27), a 103.5% increase from the prior payout and ~3.9% yield — an income boost that can attract yield-seeking investors and support the share price. Zacks: Q4 Earnings & Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Broker and analyst commentary noting the Q4 weakness may be one-off and highlighting upside potential — these narratives can limit downside and attract buying from longer‑term/contrarian investors. Seeking Alpha: Q4 Underperformance Is A One-Off Seeking Alpha: Upside Brewing
• Neutral Sentiment: Underlying revenue growth and strategic pushes (game slate, AI initiatives, rising cash) cited in earnings commentary — these are constructive for medium-term fundamentals but haven’t yet offset margin/earnings headwinds. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Nomura trimmed its price target to $155 (from $160) but kept a Buy rating — a modestly negative tweak in PT but still signals conviction in upside, so the net effect is neutral-to-slightly supportive. MarketScreener: Nomura PT
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 profit miss and weaker margins: NetEase reported a significant drop in Q4 profit (reported as ~24–30% decline across coverage) and missed some estimates, which triggered selling pressure after the print. Yicai Global: Stock Falls After Profit Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays cut its price target to $132 and moved to an Equal Weight rating — another analyst downgrade that can weigh on sentiment and limit near-term upside. The Fly / Benzinga: Barclays PT Cut

About NetEase

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.