Is Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (BIDU) a Good Stock to Buy?

Does Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) represent a good buying opportunity at the moment? Let’s briefly check the hedge fund sentiment towards the company. Hedge fund firms constantly search out bright intellectuals and highly-experienced employees and throw away millions of dollars on research activities, so it is no wonder why they tend to generate millions in profits each year. It is also true that some hedge fund players fail unconceivably on some occasions, but their stock picks have been generating superior risk-adjusted returns on average over the years.

Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) was included in the equity portfolios of 57 investors tracked by us at the end of September. BIDU investors should pay attention to an increase in enthusiasm from smart money, as there had been 56 funds in our database with BIDU positions at the end of the previous quarter. At the end of this article we will also compare BIDU to other stocks, including Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON), Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), and Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) to get a better sense of its popularity.

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Now, we’re going to review the recent action surrounding Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU).

How are hedge funds trading Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU)?

A total of 57 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held shares of Baidu at the end of September, up by 2% from the second quarter of 2016. With hedge funds’ capital changing hands, there exists an “upper tier” of notable hedge fund managers who were upping their holdings significantly (or already accumulated large positions).

HedgeFundSentimentChart

According to Insider Monkey’s hedge fund database, Cantillon Capital Management, led by William von Mueffling, holds the largest position in Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU). Cantillon Capital Management has a $376.8 million position in the stock, comprising 5.3% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is Matt Sirovich and Jeremy Mindich’s Scopia Capital holding a $354.6 million position; 6.3% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other hedge funds and institutional investors that are bullish encompass Kerr Neilson’s Platinum Asset Management and Jonathan Auerbach’s Hound Partners.

Consequently, key money managers were breaking ground themselves. Hillhouse Capital Management, managed by Lei Zhang, created the biggest position in Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU). Hillhouse Capital Management had $224.5 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Dmitry Balyasny’s Balyasny Asset Management also made a $174.1 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with brand new BIDU positions are Ram Seshan Venkateswaran’s Vernier Capital, Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group, and Charles de Vaulx’s International Value Advisers.

Let’s check out hedge fund activity in other stocks – not necessarily in the same industry as Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) but similarly valued. These stocks are Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON), Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), Public Storage (NYSE:PSA), and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). This group of stocks’ market valuations are similar to BIDU’s market valuation.

Ticker No of HFs with positions Total Value of HF Positions (x1000) Change in HF Position
MON 77 3675899 -10
SYK 24 694322 2
PSA 23 1010970 -4
CAT 32 1460921 1

As you can see these stocks had an average of 39 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1.71 billion. That figure was $4.13 billion in BIDU’s case. Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) is the least popular one with only 23 bullish hedge fund positions. Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. This is a slightly positive signal but we’d rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. In this regard Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) might be a better candidate to consider a long position.