Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ATHM. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. CLSA lowered Autohome from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Benchmark downgraded shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Autohome has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.00.

Autohome Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of ATHM stock opened at $27.24 on Tuesday. Autohome has a 1 year low of $21.89 and a 1 year high of $34.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.71 and its 200-day moving average is $27.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.18.

Autohome declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Autohome Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Autohome’s previous Variable dividend of $0.57. This represents a dividend yield of 5.8%. Autohome’s payout ratio is 83.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. M&G Plc boosted its stake in Autohome by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 3,088,758 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $83,396,000 after acquiring an additional 97,994 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in shares of Autohome by 11.4% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,311,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $36,007,000 after purchasing an additional 133,993 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Autohome by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 249,984 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,862,000 after buying an additional 24,115 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Autohome in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,497,000. Finally, Krane Funds Advisors LLC raised its stake in Autohome by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 2,816,972 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $77,326,000 after buying an additional 272,092 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.