Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Up 7.6% – Time to Buy?

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) shares rose 7.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $22.95 and last traded at $22.9880. Approximately 894,815 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 26% from the average session volume of 710,777 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATHM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC lowered shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Autohome in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.15.

Autohome Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.40. The company has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s payout ratio is presently 183.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the business’s 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 $45,709.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 62,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $271,300.80. The trade was a 14.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 the 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. This represents 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oldfield Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Autohome by 20.3% during the 2nd quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP now owns 49,800 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Autohome by 159.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,337,000 after buying an additional 224,318 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Autohome by 35.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 72,460 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 18,871 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new stake in Autohome in the 1st quarter worth $184,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Autohome in the 1st quarter worth $2,418,000. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.