Baidu Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 61,888 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 48% compared to the average volume of 41,795 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BIDU. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baidu from $139.00 to $138.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Baidu from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Baidu from $120.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays set a $84.00 price target on shares of Baidu and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Baidu in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.18.

Baidu Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:BIDU traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $87.33. The stock had a trading volume of 2,413,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,012,137. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Baidu has a 1-year low of $74.71 and a 1-year high of $116.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $30.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.68 and a beta of 0.33.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in shares of Baidu by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 5,916,215 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $498,796,000 after buying an additional 22,000 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Baidu by 1,377.5% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,324,728 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $490,035,000 after buying an additional 4,964,350 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Baidu by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,410,307 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $203,213,000 after buying an additional 207,966 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Baidu by 0.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,361,973 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $125,338,000 after buying an additional 11,658 shares during the period. Finally, CoreView Capital Management Ltd increased its position in Baidu by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. CoreView Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,262,003 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $106,399,000 after buying an additional 25,220 shares during the period.

About Baidu

Baidu, Inc engages in the provision of internet search services in China. It operates through two segments: Baidu Core and iQIYI. The company offers Baidu App to access search, feed, and other services using mobile devices; Baidu Search to access its search and other services; Baidu Feed that provides users with personalized timeline based on their demographics and interests; Baidu Health that helps users to find the doctor and hospital for healthcare needs; and Haokan, a short video app.