Is Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) a Good Self Driving Car Stock to Buy Now?

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Self Driving Car Stocks To Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) stands against the other self driving car stocks.

Advancements in artificial intelligence, data analysis, and machine learning are shaping how industries perform today. These three technological advancements have enhanced the potential of autonomous vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

However, are the consumers ready to put their hands off the driving wheel and trust self-driving vehicles? Let’s explore how the autonomous driving industry is progressing with almost all major automotive manufacturers investing significantly to put their Full Self Driving (FSD) cars on the road.

The Global Autonomous Vehicle Industry

According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the global autonomous vehicle market is valued at $41.10 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22.75% to reach $114.54 billion by 2029. The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the overall output of the automotive industry thereby delaying the production and roll-out of self-driving cars. In addition, increased government regulations to ensure road safety have also proved to be a barrier for automakers. However, with significant improvement in software and hardware technology backed by artificial intelligence, we see automakers rolling out their Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous cars on public roads.

For instance, on June 25 CNBC reported that Waymo a leading autonomous vehicle company, opened its self-driving robot taxis for users in San Francisco. The company claims that more than 300,000 people signed up for the service. To cater for the growing number of users Waymo One has rolled out a fleet of 300 cars in the city.

According to a survey by McKinsey & Company, automotive market leaders believe the autonomous segment to be less fragmented due to the complexity and investment involved in its operations. As per the survey, 15% of the respondents believe North America will have most companies working and deploying autonomous technology in the future. In contrast, 38% of respondents believe the European market to be led by at most two or three companies.

Regionally speaking, China and North America are leading the race to become the first countries to roll out Level 4 highway pilot technology. Respondents of the survey are equally divided with 58% believing either country could be the first in Level 4 technology.

As mentioned above, developing and rolling out autonomous vehicles requires a huge investment in software technology. However, the investment is also expected to return high margins. The survey found that experts believe autonomous vehicle software is expected to have an average margin of 15% and hardware technology will add another 10% to the margin, thereby making the autonomous vehicle segment a lucrative venture for automotive companies.

Latest Trends in the Autonomous Vehicle Industry

Emerging trends in the autonomous vehicle industry are paving the way towards achieving level 5 autonomy. Some of the latest developments in the industry include, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) to allow vehicles to connect with other vehicles, its environment, and the internet. This not only improves the vehicle safety by providing quick data acquisition and analysis to make timely decisions based on the traffic changes on the road. New sensor technologies such as the LiDAR scans the surrounding of the car using laser technology. When these LiDAR sensors move continuously using multiple laser sensors they create a 3D representation of the surrounding ensuring the vehicle drives safely without collision. Almost all level 3 autonomous vehicles use LiDAR scanners to enhance vehicle visibility to around 300 meters during daytime.

Moreover, advancements in artificial intelligence such as object detection algorithms along with the LiDAR help the vehicle detect pedestrians, traffic signs, and other vehicles on the road. Other deep learning algorithms are helping improve the user experience by enhanced voice recognition, gesture recognition, and sentiment analysis to help interact with the vehicle efficiently. Last but not the least, Big Data analysis techniques are being utilized by autonomous automakers to improve vehicle autonomy through analyzing data collected through radars, scanners, and cameras.

Our Methodology

To compile the list of the 10 best self-driving car stocks to buy, we looked at autonomous driving stock holdings of the Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF. We selected the top 20 stocks from the ETF holdings and ranked the stocks that were the most widely held by institutional investors, as of Q1 2024. The list is in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders for each stock.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? 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)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is a leading technology company in China, known for its advancements in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technologies. The company operates through two main business segments Baidu Core and iQIYI. Baidu Core segment deals in marketing and non-marketing services, and accounts for over 70% of the revenue. One of the key growth engines of the company includes Intelligent Driving & Other Growth Initiatives, which engages in intelligent driving as well as smart devices powered by DuerOS smart assistant and AI chip development.

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is one of the best autonomous vehicle stocks. It was held by 48 hedge funds in Q1 2024, with total stakes worth $1.43 billion. Antipodes Partners is the top shareholder of the company with a position worth $53.25 million as of August 11.

The company posted a first quarter of 2024, with Baidu Core revenue growing 4% year-over-year to RMB 23.8 billion. The growth in this segment was on the back of strong performance in both marketing and non-marketing revenue, which increased by 3% and 6% respectively.  Management is transforming the company from an internet search engine company to an AI-first business.

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) also leads in the intelligent driving market and made significant growth during the quarter. Apollo Go, which is one of the largest autonomous ride-hailing services, saw a 25% increase in ride bookings year-over-year to reach 826,000 rides during the quarter. The company is also moving towards achieving unit economies breakeven for Apollo Go and is enhancing its market share of rides in Wuhan city. In Q1, autonomous rides accounted for 55% of the total rides in the city, up from 45% during the last quarter.

What sets Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) as one of the best self-driving car stocks is its ability to capture its regional market and ensure a smooth transition. Currently, Apollo Go has become an integral part of the city’s transportation network. Moreover, the company has been able to achieve this while decreasing its operating expenses by 2% year-over-year and reaching an operating income of RMB 5.5 billion.

BIDU presents an attractive entry point for investors because it is trading at 8 times its forward earnings, a 38% discount to its sector. Moreover, it has shown remarkable progress during the past decade by growing its top line by 14% and bottom line by 6%. 48 analysts have a Strong Buy rating on the stock, with their 12-month median price target of $136.47 presenting an upside of 58% from current levels.

Ariel Global Fund stated the following regarding Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) in its fourth quarter 2023 investor letter:

By comparison, China’s internet search and online community leader, Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) traded lower alongside Chinese equities as intensifying problems in China weighed on investor sentiment during the period. The company continues to invest heavily in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and recently launched its generative AI, Ernie Bot, aimed at rivaling Open AI’s ChatGPT. While monetization of the new technology is largely dependent on regulatory review, we think Baidu should continue to experience margin improvement with the ongoing implementation of efficiency and profitability initiatives. While some investors remain on the sidelines due to uncertainty surrounding China’s economic growth, government regulations, and the political rhetoric towards Taiwan, we remain enthusiastic about Baidu’s longer-term opportunity for revenue growth and margin expansion across internet search, cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and online video.

Overall BIDU ranks 9th on our list of the best self driving car stocks. 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 timeframe. 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.