Is BIDU's Q4 2024 EPS growth sustainable?

**Baidu's Q4 2024 EPS growth may not be fully sustainable** based on several factors:

1. **Q4 Performance**: Baidu's EPS for Q4 2024 was $0.12, with a Yoy growth rate of 1.04%. This growth was partly offset by a 5.13% decrease in the last price.

|code|Ticker|Name|Date|Net Income YoY|Total Revenue YoY|Diluted EPS YoY|market_code|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|BIDU|BIDU.O|Baidu|2024 Q1|-12.858299484548692|-3.7578989571885426|-11.098394417557667|185|
|BIDU|BIDU.O|Baidu|2024 Q2|4.949756501706706|-0.5850329224223622|5.982298462011569|185|
|BIDU|BIDU.O|Baidu|2024 Q3|17.368188018576035|1.2809926693339584|23.11901819184686|185|
|BIDU|BIDU.O|Baidu|2024 Q4|62.86927071677697|-5.033296294670427|103.69112802943086|185|

2. **Challenges in Online Marketing**: The company's online marketing segment, which is a significant revenue driver, experienced a 4% decline in revenue. This decline is due to macroeconomic headwinds and changing market dynamics, which may impact the sustainability of EPS growth.
3. **AI Cloud Growth**: While the AI Cloud business saw a 12% year-over-year growth in non-marketing revenue, this growth alone may not fully offset the declines in other areas of the business.
4. **Market Conditions**: Baidu is facing challenges due to macroeconomic conditions and the transition to AI Search. These factors could continue to impact the company's financial performance and EPS growth in the near term.
5. **Analyst Expectations**: Analysts had expected an EPS of $2.35 for Q4 2024, which was higher than the actual EPS of $0.12 reported by Baidu. This discrepancy suggests that analysts may have concerns about the sustainability of EPS growth.

In conclusion, while Baidu has shown some growth in certain areas, the decline in online marketing revenue and the broader market conditions suggest that the EPS growth observed in Q4 2024 may not be fully sustainable in the long term.