Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Baidu’s price target from $135 to $140 while keeping an equalweight rating, implying only modest upside from the prior close.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on the stock: MarketBeat shows a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $161.32, despite some mixed ratings from other firms.
• Baidu shares were up slightly on the day, trading around $138.14, while recent commentary highlighted stronger AI-driven revenue and earnings as a key support for the stock.

Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $140.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 1.34% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Zephirin Group lifted their price objective on Baidu from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Baidu in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $161.00 price objective on the stock. Nomura cut their target price on shares of Baidu from $196.00 to $186.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Baidu from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.32.

Baidu Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:BIDU traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $138.14. The stock had a trading volume of 424,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,667,028. The company has a market cap of $47.00 billion, a PE ratio of 86.72 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.06. Baidu has a 1-year low of $81.17 and a 1-year high of $165.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baidu

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of Baidu during the third quarter worth approximately $165,334,000. RPD Fund Management LLC grew its position in Baidu by 161.6% in the second quarter. RPD Fund Management LLC now owns 1,258,856 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $107,959,000 after acquiring an additional 777,570 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Baidu by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,709,426 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $354,014,000 after purchasing an additional 745,588 shares during the last quarter. Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Baidu by 500.3% during the 3rd quarter. Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd now owns 891,749 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $117,506,000 after acquiring an additional 743,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Baidu by 127.8% during the fourth quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 1,157,878 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $151,288,000 after purchasing an additional 649,490 shares during the last quarter.

More Baidu News

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baidu reported Q1 results that beat expectations, with adjusted earnings and revenue coming in ahead of estimates, helping support the stock. Baidu Says AI Is Now Its Core Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: The company said AI-powered business made up more than half of Baidu General Business revenue for the first time, reinforcing the view that AI is becoming its core growth engine. Baidu Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI cloud revenue reportedly jumped 49%, while GPU cloud growth reached 184%, signaling strong demand for Baidu’s AI infrastructure and services. Baidu Stock Rises After AI Revenue Surges 49% in Blowout Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark Co. reaffirmed its Buy rating and raised its price target to $215, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Baidu had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by Benchmark Co.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary from the earnings call emphasized that AI agents are still at an early commercialization stage, suggesting a larger long-term opportunity but limited near-term monetization visibility. Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the AI strength, Baidu’s profit fell sharply and core revenue continued to decline, highlighting that the turnaround is not yet complete. Baidu's Profit Slides Again Amid Slow AI Payoff

About Baidu

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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