NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $157.3750.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NTES shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of NetEase in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Zacks Research upgraded NetEase from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered NetEase from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of NetEase in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetEase

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTES. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new position in NetEase in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,759,000. Hel Ved Capital Management Ltd boosted its holdings in NetEase by 172.9% in the third quarter. Hel Ved Capital Management Ltd now owns 35,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,350,000 after acquiring an additional 22,300 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in NetEase by 7.3% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 803,379 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $122,106,000 after acquiring an additional 54,929 shares in the last quarter. Ovata Capital Management Ltd boosted its holdings in NetEase by 228.6% in the third quarter. Ovata Capital Management Ltd now owns 25,300 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,850,000 after acquiring an additional 17,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 67,211 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $9,250,000 after purchasing an additional 12,173 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NTES stock opened at $114.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $73.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $118.45 and a 200-day moving average of $123.16. NetEase has a 1-year low of $106.06 and a 1-year high of $159.55.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

NetEase Company Profile

NetEase, Inc (NASDAQ: NTES) is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Hangzhou that develops and operates Internet services and products. Founded in 1997 by William Ding (Ding Lei), the company has grown from an early web portal and e-mail provider into a diversified online services group. William Ding has served as the company’s founder and long-time leader, guiding its expansion into games, digital content and consumer services.

The company’s primary business is interactive entertainment: NetEase Games designs, develops and publishes PC and mobile games for domestic and international audiences, offering a mix of self-developed franchises and titles published under licensing and strategic partnerships.