KBC Group NV Sells 14,069 Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) by 63.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,032 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 14,069 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Autohome were worth $262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Autohome in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its holdings in Autohome by 88.9% during 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 during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake 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 valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Autohome by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 7,448 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Autohome by 23.5% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Autohome Trading Down 2.5 %

Autohome stock opened at $27.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $29.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.59. Autohome Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.89 and a 1-year high of $34.70.

Autohome announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Autohome Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Autohome’s previous Variable dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a yield of 5.8%. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ATHM. Benchmark lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. CLSA downgraded Autohome from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Autohome has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Autohome Profile

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.