Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Short Interest Down 14.2% in January

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 6,914,433 shares, a drop of 14.2% from the January 15th total of 8,063,030 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,907,161 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,907,161 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baidu

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Binnacle Investments Inc bought a new stake in shares of Baidu in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Winthrop Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Baidu in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Baidu during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Baidu by 65.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baidu by 12,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 375 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on BIDU. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Baidu from $100.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Baidu in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Baidu in a research note on Monday, December 29th. China Renaissance raised shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $134.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 target price on Baidu in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baidu presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.94.

Trending Headlines about Baidu

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baidu announced global AI expansion including Apollo Go autonomous services and the launch of BaiduWiki — moves that broaden addressable markets for AI/cloud and demonstrate product momentum. Baidu Expands Global AI Footprint With Apollo Go And BaiduWiki Launches
• Positive Sentiment: Partnership expansion with Uber and Dubai authorities to scale Apollo Go autonomous ride?hailing is a commercial validation and potential revenue/regulatory foothold outside China. This could support longer?term monetization of autonomous services. Uber and Baidu, Inc. (BUDI) Expand Partnership to Expand Autonomous Ride-Hailing in Dubai
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Baidu’s story is shifting as AI and cloud businesses reprice expectations — upgrades/raise in estimates for AI/cloud growth can justify a higher multiple if execution continues. Why Analysts See Baidu (NasdaqGS:BIDU) Story Shifting As AI And Cloud Reprice Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Reported short interest has decreased recently, suggesting some bearish pressure has eased; lower short interest can reduce downside momentum in the near term. Short Interest in Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Decreases By 14.2%
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion pieces ask whether search and legacy businesses can keep pace with AI gains — useful for investors evaluating sustainability of growth beyond AI hype. Baidu’s AI Initiatives Are Exciting, What About Search And The Rest?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary asks whether recent price swings warrant reassessment — highlights heightened volatility and the need to monitor earnings/AI monetization milestones. Is It Time To Reassess Baidu (BIDU) After Its Recent Share Price Swings?
• Negative Sentiment: A securities?fraud investigation targeting Baidu continues and law firms are soliciting potential claimants — legal overhang increases short?term downside risk and could pressure sentiment until resolved. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) Continues

Baidu Trading Up 0.4%

Baidu stock opened at $137.87 on Thursday. Baidu has a 12 month low of $74.71 and a 12 month high of $165.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $47.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.80 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $140.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.15.

Baidu Company Profile

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.