Haitong Securities International·2025-11-30 13:46Investment Rating - The report initiates coverage on Baidu with an "OUTPERFORM" rating, indicating an expectation of performance exceeding the market average [1]. Core Insights - Baidu is focusing resources on the development and monetization of AI technologies, with AI-driven new business revenues growing by over 50% year-on-year, contributing 39% to core revenues [2][21]. - The Apollo Go business is expanding rapidly, with weekly fully driverless orders exceeding 250,000 and cumulative orders surpassing 17 million, indicating significant growth potential [3][22]. - Traditional advertising is under pressure, while cloud services continue to show strong growth, with expectations of a 14% decline in core advertising revenue and a 14% increase in cloud revenue in Q4 [3][24]. Financial Summary - Baidu's revenue for Dec-24 is projected at RMB 133,125 million, with a slight decline expected in subsequent years [17]. - Net profit is forecasted to decrease significantly in Dec-25 to RMB 18,707 million, before recovering in the following years [17]. - The gross profit margin is expected to decline from 50.3% in Dec-24 to 43.1% in Dec-25, with a gradual recovery anticipated thereafter [17]. Valuation and Price Target - The report employs a Sum-of-the-Parts (SoTP) valuation method, estimating a target price of HK$171 per share, corresponding to an 18x PE ratio for FY25 [4][25]. - Key components of the valuation include traditional search ads valued at US$2.2 billion, AI cloud services at US$3.5 billion, and Robotaxi at US$57.3 billion [4][25]. Business Segment Outlook - The traditional advertising segment is facing challenges, but the cloud business is expected to maintain high growth rates, driven by demand for large language models [10][24]. - AI-related businesses are being prioritized, with significant revenue growth reported in AI cloud infrastructure and AI-native marketing services [2][21][22].