NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

NTES has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of NetEase from $145.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays set a $135.00 price objective on NetEase and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded NetEase from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $138.00 to $190.00 in a report on Friday, October 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $155.00 target price on NetEase in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $161.00 price target on NetEase and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetEase

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in NetEase by 137.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 185 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in NetEase by 266.0% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 194 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in NetEase in the third quarter worth about $33,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of NetEase in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NetEase by 1,189.5% during the second quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 245 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NetEase Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NTES stock opened at $138.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $139.88 and a 200 day moving average of $138.88. NetEase has a 52 week low of $87.67 and a 52 week high of $159.55.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.99%.

NetEase Company 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.