Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 15.8% in April to 941,558 shares (about 0.9% of shares outstanding), trimming the days-to-cover to roughly 2.0 and suggesting reduced bearish pressure.
• Shares traded at $18.49 with a 52-week range of $16.74–$29.92, a market cap of $2.13 billion and a P/E of 11.28, while the 50-day and 200-day moving averages are $18.51 and $21.83, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment is weak with a MarketBeat consensus of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28, alongside recent downgrades, even as institutional ownership sits at about 63% and several funds have recently increased positions.

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 941,558 shares, a decrease of 15.8% from the March 31st total of 1,118,866 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 460,050 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of ATHM stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $18.49. 31,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 679,406. Autohome has a fifty-two week low of $16.74 and a fifty-two week high of $29.92. The stock's fifty day moving average is $18.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.83. The company has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.20.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The information services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $208.96 million for the quarter. Autohome had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 5.94%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Autohome will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on ATHM shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Autohome from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Autohome from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Autohome from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Krane Funds Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Autohome by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 3,387,052 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $93,178,000 after buying an additional 678,214 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Autohome by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,526,558 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $43,583,000 after buying an additional 133,525 shares in the last quarter. North of South Capital LLP increased its position in shares of Autohome by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 2,284,939 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $65,235,000 after buying an additional 78,978 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of Autohome by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,304,270 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $37,237,000 after buying an additional 89,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA bought a new stake in shares of Autohome in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,837,000. 63.08% of the stock is owned by 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.

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