Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Strong Sell

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

Several other analysts have also weighed in on ATHM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.15.

Autohome Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:ATHM opened at $17.45 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.27. The stock has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.23. Autohome has a fifty-two week low of $15.57 and a fifty-two week high of $29.92.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Autohome had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $208.96 million during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Autohome will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Autohome Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s payout ratio is currently 183.97%.

Insider Activity at Autohome

In other Autohome news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of Autohome stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $45,709.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of Autohome stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $105,705.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Krane Funds Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 3,387,052 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $93,178,000 after purchasing an additional 678,214 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 418,500 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $9,316,000 after purchasing an additional 104,800 shares during the last quarter. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new position in shares of Autohome in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,837,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,304,270 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,237,000 after purchasing an additional 89,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Autohome by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 56,595 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 38,341 shares during the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.