Baidu, Inc. (BIDU): A Bull Case Theory

We came across a bullish thesis on Baidu, Inc. on Coughlin Capital’s Substack by Brian Coughlin. In this article, we will summarize the bulls’ thesis on BIDU. Baidu, Inc.'s share was trading at $90.13 as of August 18^th. BIDU’s trailing and forward P/E were 8.91 and 12.00, respectively according to Yahoo Finance.

Baidu’s core business, long overshadowed by its AI and robotaxi initiatives, remains its search and performance marketing engine, anchored by the Baidu App that integrates search, news, and other content. While it no longer enjoys the hype surrounding AI, this segment continues to generate the bulk of the company’s revenue, making it central to near-term earnings. Recent data suggests the environment for this business is improving. China’s digital ad market has shown renewed strength, with QuestMobile reporting Q2 internet ad spend of roughly RMB 200 billion, up 6.8% year-on-year.

Notably, more than a third of “hard” ad buyers—covering search, display, and video pre-roll—spent over RMB 10 million in the first half, and June alone accounted for nearly 18% of H1 ad spend during the 618 shopping festival, signaling significant advertiser demand. Tencent’s results provide an early read on where this money is flowing: its marketing services revenue jumped 20% year-on-year to RMB 35.8 billion, with Video Accounts and Mini Programs—prime e-commerce ad real estate—seeing revenue surge nearly 50%. Such growth at scale indicates that advertisers are spending aggressively and that the broader economy may be healthier than commonly assumed.

This improving backdrop suggests that Baidu’s core advertising business could see a meaningful lift in near-term performance, providing a stable foundation beneath the company’s more headline-grabbing initiatives. With China’s digital ad budgets expanding and large-scale campaigns becoming more concentrated, Baidu is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend, making the company’s underlying earnings engine both resilient and increasingly relevant for investors assessing upcoming results.

Previously, we covered a bullish thesis on Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) by Alexandru Dragut in November 2024, highlighting its growth in AI Cloud, autonomous ride-hailing, and a strong developer ecosystem, supported by solid financials. The stock has appreciated roughly 7% since our coverage. The thesis remains valid as growth drivers persist. Brian Coughlin shares a similar focus but emphasizes near-term strength in Baidu’s core search and advertising business.

Baidu, Inc. is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 56 hedge fund portfolios held BIDU at the end of the first quarter which was 50 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of BIDU as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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Disclosure: None.