Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Shares Gap Up After Strong Earnings

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $30.11, but opened at $32.02. Autohome shares last traded at $31.56, with a volume of 399,140 shares traded.

The information services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. Autohome had a return on equity of 7.79% and a net margin of 24.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ATHM. CLSA downgraded Autohome from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Autohome to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in shares of Autohome in the fourth quarter valued at $2,760,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Autohome by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 208,354 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $5,407,000 after buying an additional 4,084 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Autohome by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 566,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $14,703,000 after buying an additional 20,284 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Autohome in the fourth quarter valued at $257,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Autohome during the 4th quarter valued at $1,869,000. Institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.67. The company has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.18.

About Autohome

Autohome Inc operates as an online destination for automobile consumers in the People’s Republic of China. The company delivers interactive content and tools to automobile consumers through its three websites, autohome.com.cn, che168.com, and ttpai.cn on PCs, mobile devices, mobile applications, and mini apps.