Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Stock Rating Raised to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks reports.

BIDU has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Arete Research set a $108.00 price target on shares of Baidu and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 7th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Baidu from $215.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Baidu from $124.00 to $96.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baidu currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $149.33.

Baidu Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ BIDU opened at $80.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $27.39 billion, a PE ratio of -38.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.59. Baidu has a fifty-two week low of $79.65 and a fifty-two week high of $165.30. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $90.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in Baidu by 307.9% in the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,209,089 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $138,187,000 after acquiring an additional 912,638 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Baidu by 967.3% during the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 454,295 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $48,428,000 after acquiring an additional 411,731 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Baidu by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 385,315 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,932,000 after acquiring an additional 21,813 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Baidu by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 285,068 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $31,762,000 after purchasing an additional 32,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Baidu by 110.9% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 246,789 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,206,000 after purchasing an additional 129,789 shares during the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Baidu

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some Wall Street analysts maintain bullish views on Baidu, which could provide limited support if investors focus on the company’s AI initiatives and valuation rather than the litigation. However, analyst recommendations are not guaranteed to be reliable buy signals. Is It Worth Investing in Baidu Inc. Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary suggests a possible short-term rebound after the steep decline, including a potential “dead-cat bounce,” but this would be speculative and would not necessarily signal a fundamental recovery. How a Possible Dead-Cat Bounce May Trigger an Options Payout
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms publicized a securities class action covering investors who purchased Baidu securities from November 18, 2025, through August 17, 2026. The complaints allege Baidu’s reporting emphasized an unaudited “Core AI-powered Business” while failing to warn that declining advertising revenue could outpace AI-related growth. The allegations have not been proven, but the legal uncertainty and potential financial or reputational costs are weighing on sentiment. Investors have until November 13, 2026, to seek lead-plaintiff status. BIDU Shareholder Alert and Class Action Allegations
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s fresh 52-week low reinforces the market’s bearish technical momentum. With shares substantially below longer-term moving averages, investors appear concerned that Baidu’s AI growth will take time to compensate for weakness in its core search and advertising business. Baidu at a New 52-Week Low

Baidu Company Profile

Baidu, Inc (NASDAQ: BIDU) is a Chinese internet and artificial intelligence company founded in 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu. The company began as an internet search provider and has expanded into a broad technology platform serving consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations.

Baidu’s consumer products include its search engine, Baidu App, Baidu Baike, Baidu Maps, Baidu Tieba and Baidu Wenku. Its business services include online advertising, cloud computing and AI Cloud offerings.