Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Price Target Lowered to $17.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) had its price target trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 in a research note released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the information services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $17.15.

Autohome Stock Performance

NYSE:ATHM opened at $18.19 on Wednesday. Autohome has a one year low of $15.57 and a one year high of $29.92. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $17.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.50.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $208.96 million for the quarter. Autohome had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 5.01%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Autohome will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio is 133.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 14.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $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. 5.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Krane Funds Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Autohome by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 3,387,052 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $93,178,000 after acquiring an additional 678,214 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Autohome by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 418,500 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $9,316,000 after acquiring an additional 104,800 shares during the last quarter. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new stake in Autohome in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,837,000. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in Autohome by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,304,270 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,237,000 after acquiring an additional 89,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Autohome by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 56,595 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,000 after acquiring an additional 38,341 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

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.