Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $19.09, but opened at $18.20. Autohome shares last traded at $17.8590, with a volume of 26,567 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATHM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research cut Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. HSBC cut 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Autohome has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.15.

Autohome Stock Down 6.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 0.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $18.05 and its 200-day moving average is $19.73.

Autohome Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders 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 presently 183.97%.

Insider Activity at Autohome

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 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 value of $45,709.80. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 62,368 shares in the company, valued at $271,300.80. The trade was a 14.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $105,705.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $739,239. This represents a 12.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Autohome by 33.4% in the fourth 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 period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new position in Autohome during the third quarter worth about $1,837,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Autohome by 7.3% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,304,270 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,237,000 after buying an additional 89,057 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Autohome by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,682,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $59,713,000 after buying an additional 39,969 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Autohome by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 56,595 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,000 after buying an additional 38,341 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently 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.