Capital World Investors Purchases 205,040 Shares of Baidu, Inc. $BIDU

Capital World Investors boosted its position in Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) by 21.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,182,857 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 205,040 shares during the period. Capital World Investors’ holdings in Baidu were worth $154,552,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BIDU. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Baidu in the 1st quarter worth about $334,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Baidu by 71.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in Baidu by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 9,670 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 3,362 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Baidu by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 50,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $4,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new stake in Baidu in the 2nd quarter worth about $254,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Baidu from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zephirin Group upped their price objective on shares of Baidu from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Baidu in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Baidu from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.58.

Baidu Stock Performance

Shares of BIDU stock opened at $119.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -992.42, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $126.04 and its 200 day moving average is $129.82. Baidu, Inc. has a 12 month low of $83.30 and a 12 month high of $165.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Baidu

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Defense designated Baidu as a Chinese Military Company, increasing geopolitical and regulatory risk for the stock. Baidu Responds to Inclusion on U.S. CMC List
• Negative Sentiment: The Pentagon’s broader action against Chinese tech firms may weigh on Baidu by raising concerns about possible U.S. contracting limits and further policy actions. Pentagon expands list of China military-linked firms to include Alibaba, Baidu in fresh blow to diplomatic thaw
• Neutral Sentiment: Baidu rejected the designation and said it does not believe the listing should have any business impact, which may soften investor concern if the company can avoid tangible restrictions. Baidu Responds to Inclusion on US CMC List

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.