Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Short Interest Up 17.6% in April

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,490,000 shares, a growth of 17.6% from the March 31st total of 5,520,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,280,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Baidu from $157.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered their price target on Baidu from $181.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays cut their price objective on Baidu from $138.00 to $133.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Baidu from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in Baidu by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 29,375 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Baidu by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,005 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Baidu by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,591 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group raised its position in shares of Baidu by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 1,894 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baidu by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 3,791 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period.

Baidu Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of BIDU stock traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.52. 4,816,699 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,670,415. The stock has a market cap of $35.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.72. The company has a quick ratio of 3.01, a current ratio of 3.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Baidu has a 12 month low of $94.25 and a 12 month high of $156.98.

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.