NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Shares Sold by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lowered its stake in shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 150,300 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in NetEase were worth $14,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in NetEase by 418.9% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 275 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NetEase during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. USA Financial Formulas raised its position in shares of NetEase by 1,153.1% in the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 401 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in NetEase in the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new stake in NetEase during the fourth quarter valued at about $90,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NTES traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,351,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,822,159. The stock has a market cap of $59.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $95.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.38. NetEase, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.30 and a 52 week high of $118.89.

NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 23rd. The technology company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.68 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. NetEase had a net margin of 28.75% and a return on equity of 24.19%. Equities analysts anticipate that NetEase, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 6th will be issued a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 6th. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC cut their price objective on NetEase from $130.00 to $126.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com lowered NetEase from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of NetEase in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Benchmark lifted their price objective on NetEase from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on NetEase in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.00.

NetEase 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.