GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Acquires Shares of 163,059 Baidu, Inc. $BIDU

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 163,059 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $21,486,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Binnacle Investments Inc bought a new stake in Baidu during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Winthrop Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baidu in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Baidu in the second quarter valued at $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Baidu by 65.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 372 shares during the period.

Key Stories Impacting Baidu

Here are the key news stories impacting Baidu this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baidu embedded the OpenClaw AI agent into its search app, extending AI features to ~700M users ahead of Lunar New Year — a clear product/monetization positive. China’s Baidu adds OpenClaw AI into search app for 700 million users ahead of Lunar New Year
• Positive Sentiment: Baidu’s Apollo autonomous-driving tech is being rolled out with Uber for robotaxi ride-hailing in Dubai, supporting the company’s commercialization and valuation narrative for self-driving services. Uber rolls out Baidu’s self-driving taxis for ride hailing in Dubai
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. removed a list that had linked Alibaba and Baidu to the Chinese military, which reduces a geopolitical/regulatory overhang for the company. U.S. Removes List Linking Alibaba, Baidu to China Military
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts on average still rate Baidu around a “Moderate Buy,” indicating some continued analyst confidence in the name. Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Published short‑interest data in recent reports appears inconsistent (shows zero / NaN), suggesting the short‑interest reading is unreliable and not clearly driving the move. (Internal short‑interest entries)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noted Baidu fell more than the broader market in the latest session, which helps explain intraday volatility but doesn’t identify a single catalyst. Baidu Inc. (BIDU) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms (Howard G. Smith and Frank R. Cruz) announced securities‑fraud investigations into Baidu, increasing litigation risk and potential investor concern. Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) Shareholders Who Lost Money – Contact Law Offices of Howard G. Smith About Securities Fraud Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Separate BusinessWire notice from another firm (Frank R. Cruz) highlights a continuing securities‑fraud probe, reinforcing legal overhang. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) Continues – Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged to Contact The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz
• Negative Sentiment: Infini Capital fully liquidated a ~33,400‑share Baidu position (~$4.4M), a small but visible institutional sale that can add selling pressure in a thin session. Infini Capital Dumps 33,000 BIDU Shares for $4.4 Million

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BIDU shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 price target on shares of Baidu in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. China Renaissance upgraded shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $134.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Baidu from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $188.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Baidu from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baidu has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $157.05.

Baidu Stock Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:BIDU opened at $137.01 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $47.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.52 and a beta of 0.32. Baidu, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.71 and a 52 week high of $165.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $140.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.08.

About Baidu

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.