Baidu Inc. (BIDU) Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider

Baidu Inc. (BIDU) ended the recent trading session at $92.50, demonstrating a +1.55% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.1%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.21%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.72%.The web search company's stock has climbed by 7.74% in the past month, falling short of the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 14.29% and the S&P 500's gain of 9.86%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Baidu Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on May 21, 2025. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.96, marking a 28.99% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $4.3 billion, down 1.56% from the year-ago period.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $10.08 per share and revenue of $18.8 billion, which would represent changes of -4.27% and +1.65%, respectively, from the prior year.It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Baidu Inc. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.06% higher within the past month. Baidu Inc. is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Investors should also note Baidu Inc.'s current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 9.04. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 19.32, which means Baidu Inc. is trading at a discount to the group.It is also worth noting that BIDU currently has a PEG ratio of 2.16. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Internet - Services industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.65.The Internet - Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 84, putting it in the top 35% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Baidu, Inc. (BIDU): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks