Baidu, Inc. (BIDU)
Baidu is China's leading internet search engine and a major player in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology.
Is Baidu, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Dominant position in the Chinese search market. Worth weighing: Very thin profit margins currently.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Baidu, Inc. do?
Often called the 'Google of China', Baidu makes most of its money through online advertising on its search platform. Beyond search, the company is pouring resources into cloud computing and self-driving car technology, hoping these will be the engines of future growth. Its future rests on whether these new tech ventures can eventually turn a healthy profit to offset the slowing growth in their traditional advertising business.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and quality, and weakest on growth.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- !Thin profits - turns only about 1% of sales into profit
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- Value screens high
- Growth screens low
- Momentum screens low
- Income screens low
Does Baidu, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - Baidu, Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
Does Baidu, Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about 116.89B in cash against about 94.14B of debt - so it has net cash of about 22.75B. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Baidu, Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Baidu, Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Baidu, Inc. fell as much as −44% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
What do you actually own with BIDU?
This US listing is an American Depositary Receipt (ADR), not a direct holding of Baidu, Inc.'s ordinary shares. A bank holds the real shares in China and issues receipts against them, and it is those receipts that trade in US dollars on a US exchange. It is the standard route by which a company listed abroad becomes available on a US market, and the receipt tracks the shares behind it.
- Two currencies are involved. Baidu, Inc. reports its results in Chinese yuan, while the listing itself trades in US dollars. Exchange-rate moves therefore affect the value alongside the movement of the underlying shares.
- There is a custody fee. The depositary bank charges a small annual fee for running the arrangement - often a few cents per receipt - usually taken out of dividends or passed on by your platform.
- Dividends cross a border. Any dividend is converted into US dollars by the bank, and China may deduct withholding tax before it reaches you.
- Voting works differently. Receipt holders generally do not vote at the company's meetings directly; the bank holding the shares handles that.
This describes how the listing is put together, using its registered security type. It is context about the instrument, not a view on the company.
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Baidu, Inc.?
About 21% of Baidu, Inc., or about 21 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 3%. The rest, roughly 76%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Baidu, Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of Baidu, Inc.'s sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £58 covers making the product or service, £41 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £1 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does Baidu, Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Baidu, Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-11-18 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-18 | $9.84 | $7.22 | Missed -27% |
| 2026-05-18 | $11.43 | $12.06 | Beat +6% |
| 2026-02-26 | $9.65 | $10.62 | Beat +10% |
| 2025-11-18 | $8.20 | $11.12 | Beat +36% |
| 2025-08-20 | $13.33 | $13.58 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-05-21 | $13.84 | $18.54 | Beat +34% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Baidu, Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Baidu, Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Baidu becomes a dominant leader in global AI infrastructure.
Failure to monetise new tech, leading to long-term stagnation.
What are the pros and cons of Baidu, Inc.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Dominant position in the Chinese search market
- Significant investment and expertise in AI and autonomous driving
- Low valuation multiples compared to global tech peers
- Very thin profit margins currently
- Declining year-on-year revenue and earnings
- No dividend payments for income-focused investors
- Heavy reliance on the Chinese advertising market
- Intense competition from other Chinese tech giants
- Potential for unpredictable regulatory changes in China
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained return to double-digit revenue growth
- A significant improvement in net profit margins
Common questions about Baidu, Inc.
Does Baidu, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - Baidu, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does Baidu, Inc. report earnings next?
Baidu, Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-11-18. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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4imprint Group plcBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.