Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $111.25.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BIDU. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Baidu in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Baidu in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Nomura cut Baidu from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com lowered Baidu from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Baidu from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dodge & Cox raised 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 worth $498,796,000 after acquiring an additional 22,000 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 207,966 shares during the last quarter. Appaloosa LP increased its position in shares of Baidu by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 1,527,909 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $128,818,000 after purchasing an additional 102,909 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Baidu by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,350,315 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $113,845,000 after purchasing an additional 4,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreView Capital Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Baidu by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. CoreView Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,262,003 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $106,399,000 after purchasing an additional 25,220 shares in the last quarter.

Baidu Price Performance

Baidu stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $82.59. 2,285,728 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,190,037. Baidu has a 12-month low of $74.71 and a 12-month high of $116.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $89.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.25. The company has a market cap of $28.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.01, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.33.

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.