NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $96.63, but opened at $99.56. NetEase shares last traded at $98.76, with a volume of 446,078 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of NetEase from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of NetEase from $82.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of NetEase from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of NetEase from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on shares of NetEase from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NetEase currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.57.

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NetEase Stock Performance

The company's 50 day moving average price is $99.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.52. The company has a market cap of $66.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.61.

NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The technology company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.16 billion. NetEase had a net margin of 28.17% and a return on equity of 22.12%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that NetEase, Inc. will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NetEase Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.435 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. NetEase's dividend payout ratio is 76.45%.

Institutional Trading of NetEase

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in NetEase by 81.7% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of NetEase during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 444 shares of the technology company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new position in shares of NetEase during the 4th quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of NetEase during the 3rd quarter worth about $70,000. 11.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NetEase

NetEase, Inc engages in online games, music streaming, online intelligent learning services, and internet content services businesses in China and internationally . The company operates through Games and Related Value-Added Services, Youdao, Cloud Music, and Innovative Businesses and Others segments.