Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Trims Stock Position in NetEase, Inc. $NTES

Key Points

• Robeco cut its stake by 14.5% in NetEase in Q4, selling 24,667 shares and leaving 145,535 shares valued at about $20.03 million.
• NetEase raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 (from $0.57), implying a $4.64 annualized payout and a ~4.1% yield, with the dividend paid March 27 (ex-dividend March 16).
• Wall Street consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $153.89 (8 Buys, 3 Holds); the stock recently traded near $113.60 and has a market cap of roughly $72 billion.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its stake in NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES - Free Report) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 145,535 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 24,667 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in NetEase were worth $20,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in NetEase in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in NetEase in the third quarter valued at $38,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in NetEase in the third quarter valued at $45,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in NetEase in the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of NetEase by 29.2% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 332 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NTES. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of NetEase in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of NetEase in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of NetEase from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $153.89.

NetEase Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ NTES opened at $113.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.76. NetEase, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.68 and a 52-week high of $159.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.10.

NetEase Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is an increase from NetEase's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. NetEase's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.08%.

NetEase Profile

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.

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