BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $8.07 Million Stock Holdings in Autohome Inc. $ATHM

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 362,660 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,746 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Autohome were worth $8,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Autohome during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,167,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Autohome during the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Autohome by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,544 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $9,297,000 after purchasing an additional 12,933 shares in the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD increased its stake in Autohome by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,714 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in Autohome by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 35,186 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autohome

In related news, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $739,239. This trade represents a 12.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $45,709.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $271,300.80. This represents a 14.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ATHM shares. HSBC cut Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.15.

Autohome Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:ATHM opened at $17.28 on Wednesday. Autohome Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.57 and a 1-year high of $29.92. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. Autohome had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $208.96 million during the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Autohome Inc. will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

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

Autohome Company 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.