Baidu can still return to the limelight, a recent report suggested, even after a viral complaint prompted the public to express their thoughts on how the company prioritized its own Baijiahao content in search results.
While Baidu's shares did plummet after last week's incident, data from last year's records have a lot to say about the Chinese provider's performance in the stock market.
Recently released data suggested that Baidu shares were already on a downward spiral even before Fang Kecheng's complaint about the search engine's services emerged, slamming claims that the company's stocks were affected largely by the viral article.
Baidu stocks went down this week after Fang's article condemning Baidu's search engine results went viral and encouraged the public to express their thoughts about the company. However, the latest data released by a number of firms revealed that before the public outcry, the Beijing-based tech giant was already losing share value.
According to Fine Examiner, Newport Asia Llc's Baidu stakes went down by 22.75 percent, as disclosed by figures on the company's third quarter 2018 filing with the SEC. While Newport had been investing in the Chinese tech provider for months, some experts believe the downtrend was bound to happen.
Earlier last year, multiple outlets reported that Baidu was planning to sell most of its equity stakes under its financial service department. Before 2018 ended, about $2.99 million shares were traded by the company.
While other Chinese companies are implicating growth, Baidu seems to be having a hard time in the market. Last year's data revealed that the company's shares decreased by 32 percent, a significant figure that could either make or break the provider's performance in the market in 2019.
Despite fears about how Baidu shares will affect the company's value this year, some experts believe that there is a fair chance China's biggest search engine will make a comeback.
If investors wait a few more weeks for Baidu to overcome the imminent rock-bottom scenario surrounding its shares, the stock market may see an unexpected rise in figures, Rick Munarriz of Motley Fool predicted.
Munarriz noted that one of the key factors that could push Baidu back on top is its cheaper shares, adding that this same aspect allowed the company to beat Wall Street profit targets in 2018.
It is expected that Baidu like it did in the past, will redeem itself in the stock market if it pursues investments in technological advancements that will make a profit in the near future.
