Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its position in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) by 95.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,797 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 162,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Autohome were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATHM. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Autohome in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake in Autohome by 88.9% in the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,700 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 24.2% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 4,676 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 912 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 93.9% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,397 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Autohome by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 7,448 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a report on Friday, July 19th. Benchmark downgraded Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Autohome Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATHM opened at $32.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 0.16. Autohome Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.89 and a 1 year high of $34.70. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.01.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $4.12. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Autohome had a return on equity of 8.19% and a net margin of 25.81%. Autohome’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Autohome Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Autohome declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, September 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.