We recently published a list of 10 Cheapest Stocks to Buy On Robinhood. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) stands against other cheapest stocks to buy on Robinhood.
While the market has been on an upward trajectory for nearly two years now, the combination of seasonal trends, strong retail, and corporate activity, and positive market momentum following the November election still suggests a potential for continued growth in U.S. equities.
Goldman Sachs’ Scott Rubner predicts a year-end rally that will push the S&P to 6,200 points as reported by Bloomberg on November 25. He attributes this potential rally to growing retail enthusiasm in equities and crypto, seasonal trading patterns, and increasing corporate buyback demand.
Rubner noted that the recent consolidation phase is typical, and highlighted significant inflows into U.S. equities, with the broader market gaining over 3% since the November 5 presidential vote and the Russell 2000 rising 6.5%. Historically, strong market performance in election years tends to extend into January, with the capital being deployed at the start of the new year.
READ ALSO: Jim Cramer’s Lightning Round: 9 Stocks in Spotlight and 10 Best Renewable Energy Penny Stocks to Invest In.
Strategic Investment Moves in a Shifting Economy
In an interview with Seana Smith and Madison Mills of Yahoo Finance, Jim Smigiel, SEI’s Chief Investment Officer, highlighted several key insights for investors, in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s pro-growth policies. He warned that these policies could lead to higher inflation and rising interest rates, which may impact investment strategies. For investors, the focus should be on understanding how inflation and rates can affect different assets and staying prepared for potential shifts in the market.
Smigiel sees opportunities in small-cap stocks, value stocks, and financials, which are expected to benefit from the current reflationary environment. He suggested investors consider diversifying their portfolios to reduce reliance on highly concentrated growth sectors like tech. Active management, where professional fund managers select investments, could also be a useful strategy to broaden exposure and adapt to market changes.
While higher rates could eventually pose challenges, Smigiel noted that small-cap stocks remain attractive for now due to improved debt structures, providing a window of opportunity until around 2026. Investors should keep an eye on rising yields, as it might signal a need to shift toward more defensive investments. Diversification remains critical in managing risks during this period.
Our Methodology
For this article, we checked all the large-cap companies trading on Robinhood with at least 50% positive analyst ratings. We narrowed our list to nearly 40 stocks that were trading below a forward price-to-earnings multiple of under 15. We also skipped the stocks that were trading above or at their industry median despite trading below a PE ratio of 15. Finally, we chose the 10 cheapest stocks to buy based on their average analyst price target upside as of November 25 (pre-market open). These stocks are also popular among hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A modern internet space with a person using Baidu services on a laptop.
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU)
Market Cap: $28 billion
FWD PE Ratio: 7.87
Average Price Target Upside: 43.13%
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is a leading Chinese technology company that operates the largest internet search engine in China. Most of its revenue comes from advertising and search-related services. The company also offers online marketing solutions, such as pay-for-performance and auction-based services, while expanding its focus on AI, especially in autonomous driving technology.
Baidu’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) shares experienced a sell-off on November 21 after it missed its earnings estimates and revenue declined slightly. However, the company is showing promise in its AI segment. Its AI Cloud revenue grew 11% to RMB 4.9 billion, driven by generative AI-related services, which accounted for 11% of AI Cloud revenue.
The company highlighted advancements in its ERNIE AI models, including improved efficiency and new lightweight offerings like Speed Pro and Lite Pro. Daily API calls for ERNIE surged to 1.5 billion in November from 600 million in August, reflecting strong adoption.
Consumer engagement with generative AI features increased, with 70% of Baidu App’s monthly users interacting with such content. Wenku’s AI-enabled features saw its monthly active users exceed 50 million, contributing to a 23% rise in subscription revenue. Baidu also expanded partnerships for ERNIE agents across industries, with notable collaborations including BYD and Samsung.
We also mentioned Baidu’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) latest AI-related developments in our 10 Emerging AI Stocks You Should Keep on Your Radar report. Here is an excerpt from the article:
“On November 18, it was announced that Baidu Smart Cloud has launched initiatives to advance artificial intelligence through partnerships and infrastructure development. In Wuhan’s Qiaokou District, it collaborated with local authorities to unveil the Hanjiangwan Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park and establish the Baidu Smart Cloud (Wuhan) New Quality Productivity Industrial Base. This project will focus on AI innovation, data annotation, and talent training.
In Neijiang High-tech Zone, Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) signed a strategic agreement to develop a digital intelligence hub centered on data supply, model innovation, and intelligent applications. These efforts aim to boost the digital economy and foster industrial growth in Southwest China.
The original press release was in Chinese, so there may be minor discrepancies due to translation.”
Overall, BIDU ranks 5th on our list of cheapest stocks to buy on Robinhood. While we acknowledge the potential of BIDU as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than BIDU but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.