Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on ATHM shares. CLSA downgraded Autohome from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Autohome to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Autohome from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Autohome to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd.

Autohome Stock Performance

NYSE ATHM traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $27.94. 501,875 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 477,474. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $29.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.54. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 0.20. Autohome has a 1-year low of $21.89 and a 1-year high of $34.70.

Autohome Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Autohome's previous Variable dividend of $0.57. Autohome's payout ratio is 83.58%.

Autohome declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 4th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the information services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATHM. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Autohome in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 93.9% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,397 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 2,614 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,098 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,351 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Autohome in the second quarter worth approximately $208,000. Institutional investors own 63.08% of the company's stock.

Autohome Company 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.