Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.00.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ATHM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Autohome from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Autohome to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, CLSA downgraded Autohome from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Autohome in the third quarter valued at $6,663,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Autohome in the third quarter valued at about $784,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Autohome by 33.8% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 105,514 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $3,484,000 after purchasing an additional 26,657 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Autohome by 78.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 154,988 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $5,056,000 after purchasing an additional 67,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G PLC raised its position in shares of Autohome by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 3,384,865 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $111,701,000 after purchasing an additional 296,107 shares during the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Autohome Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE ATHM traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $27.88. 524,408 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 440,855. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.33. Autohome has a 1-year low of $21.89 and a 1-year high of $34.70. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 0.18.

Autohome Increases Dividend

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

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.