Brokerages Set Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) PT at $17.15

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.15.

ATHM has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research cut Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. HSBC downgraded Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Insider Activity at Autohome

In related news, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 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 $105,705.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% 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, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 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 $45,709.80. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $271,300.80. This trade represents a 14.42% 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 company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oldfield Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Autohome by 20.3% during the second quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP now owns 49,800 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 8,400 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Autohome by 159.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,337,000 after buying an additional 224,318 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Autohome by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 72,460 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 18,871 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new stake in Autohome during the 1st quarter worth about $184,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Autohome during the 1st quarter worth about $2,418,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autohome Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:ATHM opened at $23.25 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.42. The company has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 0.23. Autohome has a 52 week low of $15.57 and a 52 week high of $29.92.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 183.97%.

About Autohome

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.