Insider Selling: Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) CFO Sells $105,705.00 in Stock

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) CFO Yan Zeng sold 24,300 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $739,239. This represents a 12.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATHM opened at $17.57 on Friday. Autohome Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.57 and a 1-year high of $29.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $17.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last issued its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. Autohome had a return on equity of 5.01% and a net margin of 17.91%.The firm had revenue of $208.96 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Autohome Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 183.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in Autohome by 42.2% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 185,882 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $4,794,000 after buying an additional 55,167 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Autohome by 0.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 338,720 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after buying an additional 1,197 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Autohome by 5.0% during 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 buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Autohome during the second quarter valued at about $1,086,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Autohome during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Autohome from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, HSBC lowered Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.30 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Autohome currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.15.

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.