Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen cut Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings cut Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. HSBC cut Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Autohome in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $17.15.

Autohome Stock Up 1.1%

ATHM opened at $17.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.27. Autohome has a fifty-two week low of $15.57 and a fifty-two week high of $29.92.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $208.96 million during the quarter. Autohome had a return on equity of 5.01% and a net margin of 17.91%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Autohome will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Autohome

In other news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of Autohome stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $45,709.80. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 Autohome stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.35, for a total value of $105,705.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $739,239. The trade was 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATHM. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Autohome during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Autohome by 205.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,112 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD grew its position in Autohome by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 3,271 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Autohome by 30.5% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Autohome by 141.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,222 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 1,889 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.