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

Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM)’s share price 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.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Autohome during the 3rd quarter worth about $219,000. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in Autohome in the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in Autohome in the fourth quarter worth $231,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Autohome by 1,135.5% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 9,872 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 9,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Autohome in the fourth quarter valued at $257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Stock Up 4.2 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.28 and a 200-day moving average of $27.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.60 and a beta of 0.18.

Autohome Company Profile

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.