Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Lowered to “Hold” at CLSA

CLSA cut shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from an outperform rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Benchmark cut Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a report on Friday, July 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Autohome currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.00.

Autohome Stock Performance

Shares of Autohome stock opened at $28.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $28.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.27. Autohome has a one year low of $21.89 and a one year high of $34.70.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $4.12. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. Autohome had a return on equity of 8.19% and a net margin of 25.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Autohome will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, September 4th that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Autohome in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in shares of Autohome by 93.9% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,397 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 2,614 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Autohome by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.