Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Sold by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board lessened its holdings in shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 21,591 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Autohome were worth $704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ATHM. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in 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 worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 37,907 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Autohome during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning raised its holdings in Autohome by 14.2% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 20,938 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of ATHM opened at $28.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 0.20. Autohome Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.89 and a 52-week high of $34.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $29.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.51.

Autohome announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Autohome Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued 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 dividend yield of 5.8%. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATHM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, CLSA cut Autohome from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.