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

Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.15.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ATHM shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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. HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autohome

In related news, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 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 value of $45,709.80. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $271,300.80. This trade represents a 14.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATHM. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Autohome during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Autohome by 205.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD lifted its stake in Autohome by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 3,271 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Autohome by 30.5% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Autohome by 141.7% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,222 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,889 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of ATHM opened at $18.19 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $18.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.69. Autohome has a 12-month low of $15.57 and a 12-month high of $29.92. The firm has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.23.

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 given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.59%.

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.