Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 1,351 Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Autohome were worth $195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ATHM. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Autohome in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Autohome by 99.4% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in Autohome by 88.9% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,700 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Autohome by 24.2% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 4,676 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 912 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Autohome by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 7,448 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of ATHM stock opened at $27.55 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $25.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.29. The stock has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.14. Autohome Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.89 and a 12 month high of $30.92.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $4.12. Autohome had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Autohome’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Autohome Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Benchmark lowered shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a report on Friday, July 19th.

About Autohome

Autohome Inc operates as an online destination for automobile consumers in the People's Republic of China. The company delivers interactive content and tools to automobile consumers through its three websites, autohome.com.cn, che168.com, and ttpai.cn on PCs, mobile devices, mobile applications, and mini apps.