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Investing.com - CFRA downgraded iQIYI (NASDAQ:IQ) from Hold to Sell on Thursday while raising its price target to $2.00 from $1.70. The streaming giant, currently valued at $1.92 billion, has seen its stock climb about 17% year-to-date despite operational challenges.
The research firm cited deteriorating margin prospects, macroeconomic uncertainties, and regulatory headwinds in China as key factors behind the downgrade. According to InvestingPro data, the company’s concerning liquidity position, with a current ratio of 0.42, and declining revenues (-11% over the last twelve months) support this cautious stance.
CFRA projects iQIYI’s revenue to decline 2% in 2025 before a modest 1% recovery in 2026, constrained by weaker content slates, tighter regulation on short dramas, and subdued advertising spending amid China’s economic uncertainty.
The firm expects iQIYI’s net margin to contract further to 1.3% in 2025 from 2.6% in 2024 due to monetization challenges and elevated cost pressures.
CFRA cut its earnings per ADS forecast for iQIYI to CNY0.38 from CNY1.07 for 2025 and to CNY1.06 from CNY1.38 for 2026, following what it described as disappointing second-quarter results.
In other recent news, iQIYI reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings, revealing a challenging period for the Chinese streaming platform. The company experienced an 11% year-over-year decline in revenue, with significant drops in membership and advertising revenues. Earnings per share also missed expectations, coming in at -0.14 compared to the forecasted -0.03. Revenue was slightly below expectations at 6.63 billion RMB, just under the anticipated 6.65 billion RMB. Despite these challenges, Jefferies raised its price target for iQIYI to $2.50 from $2.10, maintaining a Buy rating, citing management’s positive remarks about new regulations in the Chinese media industry. Similarly, Tiger Securities increased its price target to $2.50 from $2.00, though it maintained a Hold rating. Benchmark also reiterated its Hold rating, acknowledging the ongoing difficulties faced by iQIYI. These developments highlight the mixed sentiment among analysts regarding the company’s future prospects.
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