Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Purchases New Position in Autohome Inc. $ATHM

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 58,351 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,014,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATHM. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Autohome during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Autohome by 205.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Autohome by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Autohome by 141.7% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,222 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 1,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guinness Asset Management LTD increased its position in Autohome by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 3,271 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Trading Down 4.7%

Autohome stock opened at $18.19 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.69. Autohome Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.57 and a twelve month high of $29.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ATHM shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Autohome news, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $105,705.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $45,709.80. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,300.80. The trade was a 14.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Profile

Autohome Inc (NYSE: ATHM) operates one of China’s leading online destinations for automobile consumers, offering a comprehensive suite of digital platforms and services throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. Headquartered in Beijing, the company’s core website and mobile applications deliver news, reviews, pricing information, photos, videos and interactive tools to help prospective buyers evaluate new and used vehicles. By aggregating rich editorial content with user-generated ratings and expert analyses, Autohome seeks to guide consumers through research, purchase and after-sales decision-making.

In addition to its consumer-facing properties, Autohome provides automakers, dealers and service providers with integrated digital marketing and e-commerce solutions.