Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a report on Friday, July 19th. Benchmark cut Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATHM traded down $1.95 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.99. 688,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 469,828. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.53. Autohome has a twelve month low of $22.82 and a twelve month high of $31.93.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $4.12. Autohome had a net margin of 25.69% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Autohome will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATHM. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Autohome in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in Autohome by 99.4% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its stake in Autohome by 88.9% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,700 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Autohome by 24.2% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 4,676 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Autohome by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,124 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 831 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Autohome Company Profile

Autohome Inc operates as an online destination for automobile consumers in the People's Republic of China. The company delivers interactive content and tools to automobile consumers through its three websites, autohome.com.cn, che168.com, and ttpai.cn on PCs, mobile devices, mobile applications, and mini apps.