Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Climb 10.9% – What’s Next?

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) rose 10.9% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $22.34 and last traded at $22.1410. 145,845 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 670,074 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.96.

Key Autohome News

Here are the key news stories impacting Autohome this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Autohome reported EPS of $0.36, above the $0.29 consensus estimate, and revenue of $196.1 million, topping analysts’ $189.9 million forecast. MarketBeat earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced an ordinary cash dividend of $0.395 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors. Dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating estimates, third-quarter revenue fell about 26% year over year to RMB1.315 billion, and reports also noted a decline in income. The contraction highlights ongoing pressure on the business. Third-quarter results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATHM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Autohome from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Autohome from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.50 price objective on shares of Autohome in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America cut Autohome from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.95.

Autohome Stock Up 12.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.05.

Insider Activity at Autohome

In related news, Director Quan Long sold 34,400 shares of the company’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 $181,976.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 175,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $930,955.36. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Craig Yan Zeng sold 9,316 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total transaction of $49,281.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 160,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $849,700.96. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 49,304 shares of company stock valued at $260,818. 5.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATHM. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Autohome in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,420,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 370,108 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,424,000 after purchasing an additional 60,511 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Autohome by 159.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,337,000 after purchasing an additional 224,318 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Autohome during the 1st quarter valued at $5,714,000. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its holdings in shares of Autohome by 47.6% during the 1st quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 308,171 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $5,353,000 after purchasing an additional 99,422 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

About Autohome

Autohome Inc (NYSE: ATHM) operates an online automotive platform serving consumers, automobile manufacturers, dealers and other industry participants primarily in China. Through its websites and mobile applications, the company provides information and digital tools to help users research vehicles, compare models, read reviews, explore pricing and connect with sellers.

The company’s services include automotive news and editorial content, vehicle specifications, user-generated discussions, professional evaluations, sales-lead generation and online marketing solutions.