Traders Purchase Large Volume of Baidu Call Options (NASDAQ:BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 54,937 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 34% compared to the typical volume of 41,005 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BIDU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HSBC reduced their price objective on Baidu from $157.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com lowered Baidu from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 23rd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Baidu from $138.00 to $133.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Baidu from $181.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baidu

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baidu in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Baidu in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new position in Baidu in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Baidu during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Baidu in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000.

Baidu Stock Up 5.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ BIDU opened at $106.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $37.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.75 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 3.01, a quick 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $103.04 and a 200 day moving average of $108.39.

About Baidu

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.