NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Short Interest Update

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,490,000 shares, a decline of 17.5% from the January 31st total of 4,230,000 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,290,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

NetEase Price Performance

NetEase stock traded up $2.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $103.16. 1,669,866 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,554,261. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $98.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.58. NetEase has a 1 year low of $75.85 and a 1 year high of $111.12.

NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The technology company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.14. NetEase had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 28.17%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.16 billion. Research analysts forecast that NetEase will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NetEase Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NTES shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of NetEase from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of NetEase from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America upped their price target on NetEase from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on NetEase from $82.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered NetEase from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NetEase presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetEase

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NetEase by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 38,469 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,597,000 after buying an additional 8,248 shares during the period. WT Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in NetEase in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,624,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in NetEase in the 4th quarter worth approximately $654,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in NetEase by 87.0% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 75,282 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,040,000 after purchasing an additional 35,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, APEIRON CAPITAL Ltd increased its holdings in shares of NetEase by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. APEIRON CAPITAL Ltd now owns 129,321 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $11,537,000 after purchasing an additional 22,000 shares in the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NetEase Company Profile

NetEase, Inc engages in online games, music streaming, online intelligent learning services, and internet content services businesses in China and internationally . The company operates through Games and Related Value-Added Services, Youdao, Cloud Music, and Innovative Businesses and Others segments.