Baidu Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders bought 57,474 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 35% compared to the average volume of 42,590 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BIDU. Barclays raised their price target on Baidu from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Baidu from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baidu from $142.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Susquehanna downgraded Baidu from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Baidu in a report on Friday, January 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.08.

Baidu Stock Performance

NASDAQ BIDU opened at $93.34 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $86.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Baidu has a twelve month low of $77.19 and a twelve month high of $116.25. The company has a market capitalization of $32.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.46.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in Baidu by 21.6% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 731 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Baidu by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Denver PWM LLC raised its position in shares of Baidu by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Denver PWM LLC now owns 991 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Intellectus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Baidu by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 16,773 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Baidu by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,036 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter.

Baidu Company Profile

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.