
Macquarie analysts upgraded their rating on Baidu's stock to 'Outperform' from 'Neutral,' and nearly doubled the price target to $176 from $91, according to a summary of the investor note on The Fly.
They argued that the company's revenue stream is more diversified than before, with cloud services, AI chips, and robotaxis emerging as tangible drivers.
With China's enterprise demand entering an inflection point, thanks to accelerated AI cloud adoption, Baidu is well-positioned to benefit, according to Macquarie.
Baidu's U.S.-listed shares declined 2.5% in premarket trading on Friday, tracking the 5.7% drop in the Hong Kong stock.
Even as Alibaba has emerged as the poster boy of China's tech sector recovery — its shares have more than doubled this year — Baidu is beginning to catch up.
BIDU hit an over two-year high earlier this month, although the Stocktwits sentiment for the stock has remained in 'bearish' zone since the start of October.
Year-to-date, Baidu's shares are up 60%.
Stay updated with all the latest Business News, including market trends, Share Market News, stock updates, taxation, IPOs, banking, finance, real estate, savings, and investments. Track daily Gold Price changes, updates on DA Hike, and the latest developments on the 8th Pay Commission. Get in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and real-time updates to make informed financial decisions. Download the Asianet News Official App from the Android Play Store and iPhone App Store to stay ahead in business.