JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.08, but opened at $36.03. JD.com shares last traded at $36.42, with a volume of 6,100,031 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on JD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on JD.com from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Dbs Bank raised shares of JD.com to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of JD.com from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut JD.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of JD.com in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.62.

JD.com Trading Up 1.4 %

The company has a market cap of $56.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $40.66 and its 200-day moving average is $39.06.

JD.com Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from JD.com’s previous annual dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. JD.com’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On JD.com

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JD. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in JD.com by 213.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 356,019 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $12,343,000 after acquiring an additional 242,409 shares during the period. Appaloosa LP boosted its holdings in JD.com by 43.4% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 10,465,885 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $362,852,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165,885 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in JD.com by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 393,597 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $13,646,000 after purchasing an additional 66,693 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in JD.com by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 504,519 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $17,492,000 after buying an additional 102,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of JD.com by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 3,313,700 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $114,886,000 after buying an additional 1,440,418 shares during the period. 15.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About JD.com

JD.com, Inc operates as a supply chain-based technology and service provider in the People's Republic of China. The company offers computers, communication, and consumer electronics products, as well as home appliances; and general merchandise products comprising food, beverage and fresh produce, baby and maternity products, furniture and household goods, cosmetics and other personal care items, pharmaceutical and healthcare products, industrial products, books, automobile accessories, apparel and footwear, bags, and jewelry.