Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Pass Above 50-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.04 and traded as high as $19.12. Autohome shares last traded at $19.0150, with a volume of 1,147,327 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATHM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. HSBC cut shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $17.15.

Autohome Stock Up 0.4%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.05 and a 200-day moving average of $19.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s payout ratio is 133.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the 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 directly owned 169,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $739,239. This represents a 12.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $45,709.80. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $271,300.80. This trade represents a 14.42% 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. 5.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autohome

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATHM. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position 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 worth $6,337,000 after purchasing an additional 224,318 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Autohome by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 72,460 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,259,000 after buying an additional 18,871 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in Autohome during the 1st quarter valued at $184,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Autohome during the first quarter worth $2,418,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Autohome during the first quarter worth $5,714,000. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.