WeRide (NASDAQ:WRD) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of WeRide Inc. (NASDAQ:WRD) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 3,224,737 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the previous session’s volume of 4,745,705 shares.The stock last traded at $7.9530 and had previously closed at $7.11.

Key Stories Impacting WeRide

Here are the key news stories impacting WeRide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Uber increases its strategic stake and is scaling a robotaxi partnership with WeRide in Dubai — a move that strengthens WeRide’s commercial ramp and market validation in a major rollout market. Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai
• Positive Sentiment: WeRide and Uber launched fully driverless, fare-charging robotaxi service in Dubai (RTA-endorsed) — this is the company’s first public Level 4 commercial service in the city and a clear near-term revenue/scale catalyst. WeRide and Uber Launch Fully Driverless Robotaxi Fare-Charging Operations in Dubai
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a 10% share buyback alongside expansion of its autonomous vehicle program — buybacks can support the stock while the Dubai rollout proves out. WeRide (WRD) Is Up 9.5% After Launching 10% Buyback And Expanding Autonomous Vehicle Program
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $11.40 price target ( ~43% upside from the recent price), adding institutional analyst support that can attract buyers. HSBC coverage note (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: News reports confirm Uber holds a ~5.8% passive stake — an endorsement from a major mobility platform that aligns incentives for commercial deployment. Uber confirms holding a 5.8% passive stake in WeRide
• Neutral Sentiment: Dubai launched 100 robot taxis in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim (involving Uber and Apollo Go) — industry momentum helps adoption but includes competitors and broader ecosystem players. Dubai launches 100 robot taxis in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim via Uber and Apollo Go
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate update: WeRide adjusted board composition after the retirement of a non-executive director — routine governance change with limited immediate market impact. WeRide Updates Board Composition Following Retirement of Non-Executive Director Doi
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses question current valuation after a recent ~48.7% share-price slide — valuation and persistent losses (negative margins/EPS) remain key downside risks if commercial rollout or margins disappoint. Is WeRide (WRD) Pricing Make Sense After A 48.7% Share Price Slide?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WRD. HSBC assumed coverage on WeRide in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $11.40 target price for the company. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of WeRide in a research note on Monday, January 19th. CLSA started coverage on shares of WeRide in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $13.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of WeRide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of WeRide in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $12.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $12.48.

WeRide Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of -10.82 and a beta of 4.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.73.

WeRide (NASDAQ:WRD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 23rd. The company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $44.88 million during the quarter. WeRide had a negative net margin of 240.54% and a negative return on equity of 24.38%. On average, equities research analysts predict that WeRide Inc. will post -0.68 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WeRide

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of WeRide in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in WeRide during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in WeRide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in WeRide by 37.6% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 4,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in WeRide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000.

About WeRide

WeRide Inc (NASDAQ: WRD) is a developer of autonomous driving technology focused on providing Level 4 (L4) self-driving solutions for passenger mobility and logistics. The company’s full-stack platform integrates sensors, computing hardware, software algorithms and vehicle controls to enable driverless taxis, shuttles and goods delivery vehicles. By combining perception, planning and controls in a turnkey system, WeRide aims to accelerate the commercialization of robotaxi services and autonomous fleet operations.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Guangzhou, China, WeRide maintains research and development centers in Silicon Valley and China.