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

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) was the target of a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,667,944 shares, a decline of 25.9% from the December 31st total of 2,249,740 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 409,367 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 409,367 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Autohome from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Autohome from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Autohome in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.00.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of Autohome stock traded down $0.74 on Tuesday, hitting $20.91. 415,739 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,179. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $23.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 0.11. Autohome has a one year low of $20.68 and a one year high of $32.70.

Autohome Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Autohome’s dividend payout ratio is 102.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Autohome by 12.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,968,365 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $227,497,000 after purchasing an additional 868,151 shares during the period. 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. raised its stake in Autohome by 61.4% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,393,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $35,926,000 after buying an additional 530,152 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Autohome during the second quarter worth about $12,120,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in Autohome by 32.0% in the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,215,213 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,340,000 after acquiring an additional 294,701 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

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.