By Liz Moyer
Investing.com -- JD.com Inc Adr (NASDAQ:JD) shares could get a 5% to 10% bump after the Chinese e-commerce company provides more information on its planned subsidies to better compete with rivals, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley.
In a research note on Wednesday, the analysts gave a 60% probability of such a stock move when JD.com reports earnings on March 9.
JD is offering subsidies, called the 10 billion renminbi plan ($1.44 billion), for merchants on its platform as its price war with Pinduoduo heats up. Morgan Stanley notes that JD.com’s shares have lagged rivals Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd ADR (NYSE:BABA) and PDD Holdings Inc DRC (NASDAQ:PDD) in trading this year. As of Wednesday, JD.com’s shares were down 18% year to date, versus a 2.3% gain for Alibaba and a 11.9% gain for PDD.
Shares of JD.com rose 2.7% on Wednesday.
The analysts note investors might be worried about the cost of the subsidy plan. “However, we think the market may have overestimated the incremental expense related to the Rmb10bn subsidy. We think management's comments on less than expected expense related to the Rmb10bn subsidy, hence better-than-expected 2023 margin guidance, could drive JD's share price higher,” they wrote.
Morgan Stanley rates JD.com stock as overweight with a price target of $74. At current levels, the target assumes more than 60% upside.