Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.15.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ATHM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Autohome in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC cut Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

Autohome Price Performance

NYSE ATHM opened at $21.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.33 and a beta of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.40. Autohome has a 1-year low of $15.57 and a 1-year high of $29.92.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 183.97%.

Insider Transactions at Autohome

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of Autohome stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $45,709.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares in the company, valued at $271,300.80. The trade was a 14.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $105,705.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $739,239. This trade represents a 12.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATHM. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Autohome by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,968,365 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $227,497,000 after purchasing an additional 868,151 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd increased its holdings in Autohome by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 4,308,693 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $95,912,000 after buying an additional 20,228 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC raised its stake in Autohome by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. M&G PLC now owns 3,420,121 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $75,243,000 after buying an additional 413,287 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in Autohome by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,852,839 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $63,504,000 after buying an additional 1,326,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Autohome by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,682,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $59,713,000 after buying an additional 39,969 shares during the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Autohome Company Profile

Autohome Inc (NYSE: ATHM) operates one of China’s leading online destinations for automobile consumers, offering a comprehensive suite of digital platforms and services throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. Headquartered in Beijing, the company’s core website and mobile applications deliver news, reviews, pricing information, photos, videos and interactive tools to help prospective buyers evaluate new and used vehicles. By aggregating rich editorial content with user-generated ratings and expert analyses, Autohome seeks to guide consumers through research, purchase and after-sales decision-making.

In addition to its consumer-facing properties, Autohome provides automakers, dealers and service providers with integrated digital marketing and e-commerce solutions.