Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ATHM. Zacks Research raised Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America cut Autohome from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Autohome presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.77.

Autohome Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of ATHM opened at $22.19 on Friday. Autohome has a 1-year low of $15.57 and a 1-year high of $29.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s payout ratio is presently 183.97%.

Insider Transactions at Autohome

In other Autohome news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $45,709.80. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $271,300.80. This represents a 14.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $105,705.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $739,239. This represents a 12.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in Autohome by 42.2% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 185,882 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $4,794,000 after buying an additional 55,167 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Autohome by 0.4% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 338,720 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $8,736,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Autohome by 5.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,168 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Autohome during the second quarter valued at $1,086,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Autohome during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Company Profile

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.