Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) CFO Yan Zeng Sells 24,300 Shares

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $105,705.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,239. The trade was a 12.51% decrease in their position. The sale 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.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of Autohome stock traded up $0.49 on Tuesday, hitting $18.38. 616,954 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 595,714. Autohome Inc. has a one year low of $15.57 and a one year high of $29.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.59. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.26.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last announced its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Autohome had a return on equity of 5.01% and a net margin of 17.91%.The company had revenue of $208.96 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Autohome Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Autohome Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 183.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Autohome currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $22.65.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATHM. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 42.2% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 185,882 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $4,794,000 after purchasing an additional 55,167 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 0.4% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 338,720 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 5.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,168 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Autohome in the second quarter worth approximately $1,086,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Autohome in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Autohome

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.