Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) CTO Bibo Xiang Sells 10,508 Shares of Stock

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total transaction of $45,709.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 62,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,300.80. The trade was a 14.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Autohome Stock Performance

Autohome stock opened at $18.38 on Wednesday. Autohome Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.57 and a 1 year high of $29.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.59. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Autohome had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 5.01%. The company had revenue of $208.96 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Autohome Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Autohome Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. HSBC downgraded 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, Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 5.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,168 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Guinness Asset Management LTD boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 20.9% in the third quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 2,711 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,714 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 11,101 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Autohome by 30.5% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Autohome

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.