Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Rating Lowered to Hold at CLSA

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) was downgraded by equities research analysts at CLSA from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

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

Autohome Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of ATHM opened at $28.72 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $28.76 and its 200 day moving average is $27.26. Autohome has a 12-month low of $21.89 and a 12-month high of $34.70. The stock has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61 and a beta of 0.16.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $4.12. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Autohome had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Autohome will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. M&G Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Autohome during the 1st quarter worth approximately $77,760,000. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Autohome in the second quarter worth $22,501,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Autohome by 14.7% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,440,462 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $121,859,000 after buying an additional 568,474 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 106.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 683,144 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,284,000 after buying an additional 351,789 shares during the period. Finally, Krane Funds Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 272,092 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.