Baidu (BIDU.NASDAQ) shares were up in late trading in New York after reporting a 95% increase in second-quarter profits, beating many analyst estimates, Bloomberg reported. Boosted by search-engine advertising sales, the net income of China’s largest internet company by market value climbed to US$252.6 million, up from US$128.5 million in the same period last year. The increase in ad sales came at competitor Google’s (GOOG.NASDAQ) expense, as Baidu increased its market share in China’s keyword search market. The company plans to intensify merger and acquisition activity to hold off other domestic competitors, including Tencent (0700.HK) and Alibaba (1688.HK). Baidu’s shares increased 8.9% to US$170.51 in extended after-hours trading. The stock is up 62% this year after more than doubling last year.
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