Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Stock Rating Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Autohome from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Autohome from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Autohome from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.50 target price on shares of Autohome in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.95.

Autohome Stock Performance

Shares of ATHM opened at $20.09 on Tuesday. Autohome has a 52 week low of $15.57 and a 52 week high of $28.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $21.65 and a 200-day moving average of $19.85.

Insider Transactions at Autohome

In related news, Director Quan Long sold 34,400 shares of Autohome stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total transaction of $181,976.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 175,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $930,955.36. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Craig Yan Zeng sold 9,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total value of $49,281.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 160,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $849,700.96. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 49,304 shares of company stock valued at $260,818 over the last ninety days. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATHM. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Autohome by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 370,108 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,424,000 after buying an additional 60,511 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 159.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,337,000 after acquiring an additional 224,318 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Autohome during the 1st quarter worth $5,714,000. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its position in Autohome by 47.6% in the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 308,171 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,353,000 after acquiring an additional 99,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Autohome in the second quarter worth $5,293,000. Institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

About Autohome

Autohome Inc (NYSE: ATHM) operates an online platform serving automobile consumers and industry participants in China. The company provides automotive news, reviews, buying guides, videos and other user-generated or professionally produced content designed to help consumers research vehicles and make purchasing decisions.

Through its websites and mobile applications, including Autohome and Che168, the company offers vehicle search and comparison tools, pricing information, listings for new and used vehicles, dealer information and online communities.