Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Stock Rating Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks reports.

ATHM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.50 price target on shares of Autohome in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Autohome from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Autohome from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.95.

Autohome Stock Performance

Autohome stock opened at $21.58 on Wednesday. Autohome has a 52 week low of $15.57 and a 52 week high of $25.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $21.03 and a 200-day moving average of $20.02.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The information services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.07. Autohome had a return on equity of 4.07% and a net margin of 14.23%. The firm had revenue of $196.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Autohome will post 1.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Autohome

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 5,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total transaction of $29,560.52. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 56,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,366.20. This trade represents a 8.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Quan Long sold 34,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total value of $181,976.00. Following the sale, the director owned 175,984 shares in the company, valued at $930,955.36. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 49,304 shares of company stock valued at $260,818 in the last 90 days. 5.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Autohome by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 513,749 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,917,000 after buying an additional 49,057 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Autohome by 104.6% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 11,169 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 5,709 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in Autohome by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 71,514 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,520,000 after acquiring an additional 18,891 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Autohome during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,420,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Autohome during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,293,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Autohome Company Profile

Autohome Inc. operates online platforms focused on the automotive market in China. Through its websites and mobile applications, the company connects consumers with vehicle information and automotive businesses. Its platforms provide car reviews, news, model specifications, pricing information, photos, videos and user discussions. Autohome also offers automakers and dealers advertising, marketing, customer-lead generation and data services. Founded in 2005, Autohome serves consumers and automotive businesses across China.