Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Stock Passes Above 50-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Autohome shares rose above their 50-day moving average on Monday, trading as high as $19.12 and last changing hands at $19.02.
• Several analysts turned more cautious on the stock, with recent downgrades from HSBC, JPMorgan, Wall Street Zen, Zacks Research, and Weiss Ratings. The current consensus rating is “Reduce” with an average price target of $17.15.
• The company also announced a special dividend of $0.66 per share, payable on July 31 to shareholders of record on July 2, even as recent insider sales and a payout ratio above 100% point to a potentially stretched dividend policy.

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATHM. HSBC cut shares of Autohome from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $17.30 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Autohome from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Autohome from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Autohome from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Autohome from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Autohome has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $17.15.

Autohome Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $18.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.80. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 0.23.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $208.96 million for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Autohome Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Autohome Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 10,508 shares of Autohome 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 the company'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 $105,705.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,239. This trade represents a 12.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Autohome by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 418,500 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $9,316,000 after purchasing an additional 104,800 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new stake in Autohome during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,837,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 89,057 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Autohome by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 56,595 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 38,341 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Autohome by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,682,506 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $59,713,000 after buying an additional 39,969 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently 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.

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