NetEase, Inc. (NTES) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.16 on March 27th

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of 1.16 per share by the technology company on Friday, March 27th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This is a 103.5% increase from NetEase’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57.

NetEase has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years. NetEase has a dividend payout ratio of 52.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect NetEase to earn $7.32 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.63 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 63.3%.

NetEase Stock Performance

Shares of NTES opened at $117.51 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $126.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.15. NetEase has a fifty-two week low of $88.54 and a fifty-two week high of $159.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $154.00 price target on shares of NetEase in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Nomura reduced their price objective on NetEase from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $153.89.

NetEase Company Profile

NetEase, Inc (NASDAQ: NTES) is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Hangzhou that develops and operates Internet services and products. Founded in 1997 by William Ding (Ding Lei), the company has grown from an early web portal and e-mail provider into a diversified online services group. William Ding has served as the company’s founder and long-time leader, guiding its expansion into games, digital content and consumer services.

The company’s primary business is interactive entertainment: NetEase Games designs, develops and publishes PC and mobile games for domestic and international audiences, offering a mix of self-developed franchises and titles published under licensing and strategic partnerships.