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

CLSA downgraded shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from an outperform rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ATHM. Benchmark lowered shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com raised 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 report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Autohome presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.00.

Autohome Price Performance

Autohome stock opened at $28.75 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.26. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.16. Autohome has a one year low of $21.89 and a one year high of $34.70.

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

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

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. M&G Plc boosted its holdings in Autohome by 3.3% in the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 3,088,758 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $83,396,000 after acquiring an additional 97,994 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its position in shares of Autohome by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,311,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $36,007,000 after buying an additional 133,993 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 10.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 249,984 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,862,000 after buying an additional 24,115 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Autohome by 146.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,059 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $889,000 after buying an additional 18,446 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd acquired a new stake in Autohome during the 2nd quarter worth $2,497,000. 63.08% of the stock is 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.