Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $146.1111.

BIDU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. National Bankshares upgraded shares of Baidu to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group set a $188.00 price target on shares of Baidu in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Baidu from $115.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. CLSA raised Baidu to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Nomura Securities raised shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Baidu by 88.1% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 78,045 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,182,000 after purchasing an additional 36,564 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Baidu by 4.1% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 250,531 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $23,056,000 after acquiring an additional 9,877 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Baidu in the first quarter valued at about $377,000. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in Baidu by 2.5% in the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 672,741 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $61,912,000 after purchasing an additional 16,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baidu during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,819,000.

Baidu Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of BIDU opened at $123.67 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.01. Baidu has a twelve month low of $74.71 and a twelve month high of $149.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.08 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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.