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 analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.15.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th.

Autohome Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ATHM opened at $16.52 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.40. Autohome has a twelve month low of $15.57 and a twelve month high of $29.92. The company has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last announced its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. Autohome had a return on equity of 5.01% and a net margin of 17.91%.The firm had revenue of $208.96 million during the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Autohome will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Autohome Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Autohome

In other news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of Autohome 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 $45,709.80. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,300.80. This trade represents a 14.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 Autohome stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $105,705.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Autohome during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Autohome by 205.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Guinness Asset Management LTD lifted its position in shares of Autohome by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 3,271 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Autohome by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,889 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.