Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New $6.66 Million Investment in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 204,270 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,663,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.17% of Autohome at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Autohome in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 93.9% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,397 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 2,614 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised 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 valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Autohome during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autohome Stock Performance

ATHM stock opened at $27.93 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $28.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.54. Autohome Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.89 and a fifty-two week high of $34.70. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 0.20.

Autohome announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 4th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Autohome Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Autohome’s previous Variable dividend of $0.57. This represents a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATHM. StockNews.com lowered shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Autohome to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, CLSA downgraded shares of Autohome from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

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.