Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Baidu a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from 22 firms (15 buy, 1 strong buy, 5 hold, 1 sell), with an average 1‑year price target of $157.89.
• Several institutional investors have increased or initiated positions—Primecap, Morgan Stanley, RPD Fund Management and Capital World Investors added shares while Schroder launched a new ~$165M stake—indicating rising institutional interest.
• BIDU opened at $122.48, trades with a one‑year range of $74.71–$165.30, has a market cap of ~$42.3B and a P/E of 77.03, with 50‑day/200‑day moving averages of $141.55 and $127.92 respectively.

Shares of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $157.8889.

Several research firms recently commented on BIDU. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Baidu to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Baidu from $100.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Zephirin Group upped their price target on Baidu from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Baidu from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baidu

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its stake in shares of Baidu by 1.4% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 12,116,750 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,039,132,000 after acquiring an additional 170,414 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Baidu by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,709,426 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $354,014,000 after purchasing an additional 745,588 shares during the last quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC raised its position 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 last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in Baidu in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $165,334,000. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Baidu by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,182,857 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $154,552,000 after purchasing an additional 205,040 shares in the last quarter.

Baidu Stock Performance

BIDU stock opened at $122.48 on Tuesday. Baidu has a one year low of $74.71 and a one year high of $165.30. The firm has a market cap of $42.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.03 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 1.76. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.92.

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.

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