Arete Research Upgrades JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) to Buy

Key Points

• Arete Research upgraded JD.com to a "Buy" from "Neutral," while the street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with a $36.86 average target (11 Buys, 3 Holds, 2 Sells).
• Stock and financial snapshot: JD shares traded at $31.90 with a $45.7B market cap and a P/E of 18.12; the company reported $0.04 EPS on $50.35B in quarterly revenue and analysts forecast about 3.91 EPS for the year.

JD.com (NASDAQ:JD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Arete Research from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of JD.com from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of JD.com from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of JD.com in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of JD.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of JD.com in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.86.

JD.com Stock Performance

Shares of JD stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $31.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,416,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,441,315. The business's fifty day moving average is $28.06 and its 200-day moving average is $29.80. The firm has a market cap of $45.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 9.08 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. JD.com has a 1-year low of $24.51 and a 1-year high of $38.08.

JD.com (NASDAQ:JD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The information services provider reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $50.35 billion for the quarter. JD.com had a return on equity of 7.56% and a net margin of 1.48%. On average, research analysts forecast that JD.com will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On JD.com

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JD. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of JD.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of JD.com by 35.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,462 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 5,099 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of JD.com by 36.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 28,789 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,184,000 after buying an additional 7,701 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of JD.com by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,672 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,461,000 after purchasing an additional 28,339 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in JD.com by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 65,774 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $2,147,000 after buying an additional 12,053 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 15.98% of the company's stock.

JD.com Company Profile

JD.com is a major Chinese e-commerce company that operates a comprehensive online retail platform selling a wide range of consumer goods, including electronics, appliances, apparel, groceries and everyday household items. The company combines direct retailing—purchasing inventory and selling products itself—with a marketplace for third-party merchants, offering consumers both self-operated and third-party choices. In addition to its core retail business, JD.com has expanded into adjacent services such as digital marketplaces for cross-border commerce, online pharmacy and healthcare services, and enterprise-facing cloud and technology solutions.

A distinctive feature of JD.com's business model is its integrated logistics and fulfillment network.

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