Press Release: Autohome Inc. Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Dow Jones
08 May

Autohome Inc. Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

PR Newswire

BEIJING, May 8, 2025

BEIJING, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) ("Autohome" or the "Company"), the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

First Quarter 2025 Highlights([1])

   -- Net revenues in the first quarter of 2025 were RMB1,453.8 million 
      (US$200.3 million), compared to RMB1,609.1 million in the corresponding 
      period of 2024. 
 
   -- Net income attributable to Autohome in the first quarter of 2025 was 
      RMB356.6 million (US$49.1 million), compared to RMB394.5 million in the 
      corresponding period of 2024, while net income attributable to ordinary 
      shareholders in the first quarter of 2025 was RMB340.5 million (US$46.9 
      million), compared to RMB379.8 million in the corresponding period of 
      2024. 
 
   -- Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP)[2] in the first 
      quarter of 2025 was RMB420.8 million (US$58.0 million), compared to 
      RMB493.9 million in the corresponding period of 2024. 
 
   -- Share repurchase: As of May 2, 2025, the Company had repurchased 
      4,781,999 American depositary shares ("ADSs") for a total cost of 
      approximately US$128.0 million. 

Mr. Song Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Autohome, stated, "In the first quarter, we made significant progress in strengthening our business foundation and driving the execution of our innovation initiatives. We effectively deployed AI technology across various business areas, most notably with the launch of the upgraded Autohome App in late March, featuring an AI smart assistant powered by DeepSeek and our proprietary big data resources. These features significantly enhance the user question-and-answer experience and improve user decision-making efficiency across the automotive vertical."

"Our new retail network continues to steadily expand, with nearly 200 Autohome Space and satellite franchised stores now in operation. These stores offer local partners cutting-edge technological capabilities, premium offline resources, and robust ecosystem support. Looking forward, we will further enhance user value and capitalize on new growth opportunities, building a seamless online-to-offline ecosystem for services and deliver a more comprehensive and convenient one-stop solution for consumers and business partners alike."

Mr. Craig Yan Zeng, Chief Financial Officer of Autohome, added, "We delivered another solid quarter of operational and financial results. Our user base continues to expand, with March 2025 average mobile daily active users increasing by 10.8% year-over-year to 76.92 million, according to QuestMobile, primarily driven by category expansion and our ongoing investments in premium content. Revenue growth in our new energy vehicle business also outperformed the broader industry, supported by our robust new retail initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with our new partner and propelling Autohome into the next phase of growth."

Unaudited First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues were RMB1,453.8 million (US$200.3 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB1,609.1 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

   -- Media services revenues were RMB242.2 million (US$33.4 million) in the 
      first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB327.4 million in the corresponding 
      period of 2024, primarily due to reduced advertising spending by internal 
      combustion engine ("ICE") automakers amid shrinking sales volumes in the 
      ICE segment. 
 
   -- Leads generation services revenues were RMB645.1 million (US$88.9 
      million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB726.4 million in 
      the corresponding period of 2024. 
 
   -- Online marketplace and others revenues were RMB566.5 million (US$78.1 
      million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB555.2 million in 
      the corresponding period of 2024. 

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues was RMB315.5 million (US$43.5 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB300.9 million in the corresponding period of 2024. Share-based compensation expenses included in cost of revenues in the first quarter of 2025 were RMB2.4 million (US$0.3 million), compared to RMB0.9 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were RMB948.8 million (US$130.7 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB1,126.9 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

   -- Sales and marketing expenses were RMB543.6 million (US$74.9 million) in 
      the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB641.3 million in the 
      corresponding period of 2024, primarily due to a decrease in marketing 
      and promotional expenses. Share-based compensation expenses included in 
      sales and marketing expenses in the first quarter of 2025 were RMB12.3 
      million (US$1.7 million), compared to RMB12.8 million in the 
      corresponding period of 2024. 
 
   -- General and administrative expenses were RMB131.0 million (US$18.1 
      million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB149.5 million in 
      the corresponding period of 2024. Share-based compensation expenses 
      included in general and administrative expenses in the first quarter of 
      2025 were RMB11.2 million (US$1.5 million), compared to RMB12.0 million 
      in the corresponding period of 2024. 
 
   -- Product development expenses were RMB274.1 million (US$37.8 million) in 
      the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB336.1 million in the 
      corresponding period of 2024, primarily due to a decrease in 
      personnel-related expenses. Share-based compensation expenses included in 
      product development expenses in the first quarter of 2025 were RMB19.6 
      million (US$2.7 million), compared to RMB22.6 million in the 
      corresponding period of 2024. 

Operating Profit

Operating profit was RMB233.4 million (US$32.2 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB276.1 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense was RMB56.3 million (US$7.8 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to an income tax expense of RMB68.4 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

Net Income attributable to Autohome

Net income attributable to Autohome was RMB356.6 million (US$49.1 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB394.5 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

Net Income attributable to Ordinary Shareholders and Earnings per Share/ADS

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB340.5 million (US$46.9 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB379.8 million in the corresponding period of 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share ("EPS") were RMB0.72 (US$0.10) and RMB0.71 (US$0.10), respectively, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB0.78 and RMB0.78, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB2.86 (US$0.39) and RMB2.85 (US$0.39), respectively, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB3.14 and RMB3.13, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2024.

Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP EPS/ADS

Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) was RMB420.8 million (US$58.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to RMB493.9 million in the corresponding period of 2024. Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB0.88 (US$0.12) and RMB0.88 (US$0.12), respectively, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.02 and RMB1.02, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2024. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB3.54 (US$0.49) and RMB3.52 (US$0.49), respectively, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB4.08 and RMB4.07, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2024.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of March 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB21.93 billion (US$3.02 billion). Net cash provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2025 was RMB134.7 million (US$18.6 million).

Employees

The Company had 4,345 employees as of March 31, 2025, including 1,299 employees from TTP Car, Inc.

Conference Call Information

The Company will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 8, 2025 (8:00 p.m. Beijing Time on the same day).

Please register in advance of the conference call using the registration link provided below. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which will be used to join the conference call.

Registration Link: https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI29659c4e82a24979ba0e64eb6aad011d

Please use the conference access information to join the call 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin.

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at https://ir.autohome.com.cn and a replay of the webcast will be available following the session.

About Autohome

Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) is the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Its mission is to relentlessly reduce auto industry decision-making and transaction costs driven by advanced technology. Autohome provides occupationally generated content, professionally generated content, user-generated content, and AI-generated content, a comprehensive automobile library, and extensive automobile listing information to automobile consumers, covering the entire car purchase and ownership cycle. The ability to reach a large and engaged user base of automobile consumers has made Autohome a preferred platform for automakers and dealers to conduct their advertising campaigns. Further, the Company's dealer subscription and advertising services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through Autohome's platform, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. The Company offers sales leads, data analysis, and marketing services to assist automakers and dealers with improving their efficiency and facilitating transactions. Further, through its websites and mobile applications, it also provides other value-added services, including auto financing, auto insurance, used car transactions, and aftermarket services. For further information, please visit https://www.autohome.com.cn/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, Autohome's business outlook, Autohome's strategic and operational plans and quotations from management in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. Autohome may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Autohome's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Autohome's goals and strategies; Autohome's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the online automobile advertising market in China; Autohome's ability to attract and retain users and advertisers and further enhance its brand recognition; Autohome's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; competition in the online automobile advertising industry; relevant government policies and regulatory environment of China; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Autohome's filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Autohome does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement net income presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we use Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome, Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS and earnings per ADS, Adjusted net margin and Adjusted EBITDA as non-GAAP financial measures. We define Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome as net income attributable to Autohome excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition, and loss/(gain) pickup of equity method investments, with all the reconciliation items adjusted for related income tax effects. We define non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares. We define non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ADSs. We define Adjusted net margin as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by total net revenues. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Autohome before income tax expense, depreciation expenses of property and equipment, amortization expenses of intangible assets and share-based compensation expenses. We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance, in addition to net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are important to help investors understand our operating and financial performance, compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and assess our core operating results, as they exclude certain non-cash charges or items that are non-operating in nature. The use of the above non-GAAP financial measures has certain limitations as they excluded certain items that have been and will continue to be incurred in the future, but such items should be considered in the overall evaluation of our results. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Autohome Inc.

Sterling Song

Investor Relations Director

Tel: +86-10-5985-7483

E-mail: ir@autohome.com.cn

Christensen China Limited

Suri Cheng

Tel: +86-185-0060-8364

E-mail: suri.cheng@christensencomms.com

 
                          AUTOHOME INC. 
 UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA 
     (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data) 
                          For three months ended March 31, 
                     ----------------------------------------- 
                         2024                  2025 
                     -------------  -------------------------- 
                          RMB            RMB           US$ 
Net revenues: 
Media services             327,431        242,179       33,373 
Leads generation 
 services                  726,423        645,143       88,903 
Online marketplace 
 and others                555,211        566,496       78,065 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Total net revenues       1,609,065      1,453,818      200,341 
Cost of revenues         (300,892)      (315,520)     (43,480) 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Gross profit             1,308,173      1,138,298      156,861 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
 
Operating expenses: 
Sales and marketing 
 expenses                (641,276)      (543,639)     (74,915) 
General and 
 administrative 
 expenses                (149,545)      (131,023)     (18,055) 
Product development 
 expenses                (336,067)      (274,141)     (37,778) 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Total operating 
 expenses              (1,126,888)      (948,803)    (130,748) 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Other operating 
 income, net                94,793         43,860        6,044 
Operating profit           276,078        233,355       32,157 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Interest and 
 investment income, 
 net                       219,974        177,071       24,401 
Share of results of 
 equity method 
 investments              (49,133)       (11,636)      (1,603) 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Income before 
 income taxes              446,919        398,790       54,955 
Income tax expense        (68,401)       (56,329)      (7,762) 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Net income                 378,518        342,461       47,193 
Net loss 
 attributable to 
 noncontrolling 
 interests                  15,981         14,174        1,953 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Net income 
 attributable to 
 Autohome                  394,499        356,635       49,146 
Accretion of 
 mezzanine equity         (41,671)       (45,654)      (6,291) 
Accretion 
 attributable to 
 noncontrolling 
 interests                  26,948         29,469        4,061 
                     -------------  -------------  ----------- 
Net income 
 attributable to 
 ordinary 
 shareholders              379,776        340,450       46,916 
                     =============  =============  =========== 
 
Earnings per share 
attributable to 
ordinary 
   shareholders 
Basic                         0.78           0.72         0.10 
Diluted                       0.78           0.71         0.10 
Earnings per ADS 
attributable to 
ordinary 
shareholders 
   (one ADS equals 
for four ordinary 
shares) 
Basic                         3.14           2.86         0.39 
Diluted                       3.13           2.85         0.39 
 
Weighted average shares used to 
compute earnings per share 
attributable to    ordinary 
shareholders: 
 
 Basic                 484,278,900    475,483,227  475,483,227 
 Diluted               485,253,760    478,030,619  478,030,619 
 
 
 
 
                          AUTOHOME INC. 
     UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP AND GAAP RESULTS 
     (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data) 
 
                           For three months ended March 31, 
                         ------------------------------------- 
                            2024                2025 
                         -----------  ------------------------ 
                             RMB          RMB          US$ 
Net income attributable 
 to Autohome                 394,499      356,635       49,146 
Plus: income tax 
 expense                      69,742       57,669        7,947 
Plus: depreciation of 
 property and 
 equipment                    33,534       27,370        3,772 
Plus: amortization of 
 intangible assets             9,650        9,621        1,326 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
EBITDA                       507,425      451,295       62,191 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Plus: share-based 
 compensation 
    expenses                  48,307       45,490        6,269 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Adjusted EBITDA              555,732      496,785       68,460 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
 
Net income attributable 
 to Autohome                 394,499      356,635       49,146 
Plus: amortization of 
 intangible assets 
 resulting from 
 business 
    acquisition                9,583        9,583        1,321 
Plus: share-based 
 compensation expenses        48,307       45,490        6,269 
Plus: Loss on equity 
 method investments, 
 net                          49,133       11,636        1,603 
Plus: tax effects of 
 the adjustments             (7,594)      (2,574)        (355) 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Adjusted net income 
 attributable to 
 Autohome                    493,928      420,770       57,984 
                         -----------  -----------  ----------- 
 
Net income attributable 
 to Autohome                 394,499      356,635       49,146 
Net margin                    24.5 %       24.5 %       24.5 % 
Adjusted net income 
 attributable to 
 Autohome                    493,928      420,770       57,984 
Adjusted net margin           30.7 %       28.9 %       28.9 % 
 
Non-GAAP earnings per 
share 
Basic                           1.02         0.88         0.12 
Diluted                         1.02         0.88         0.12 
Non-GAAP earnings per 
ADS (one ADS equals for 
four ordinary shares) 
Basic                           4.08         3.54         0.49 
Diluted                         4.07         3.52         0.49 
 
Weighted average shares 
used to compute 
non-GAAP    earnings 
per share: 
Basic                    484,278,900  475,483,227  475,483,227 
Diluted                  485,253,760  478,030,619  478,030,619 
 
 
                              AUTOHOME INC. 
              UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 
                  (Amount in thousands, except as noted) 
 
                                          As of 
                                       December 31,     As of March 31, 
                                      -------------  --------------------- 
                                          2024               2025 
                                      -------------  --------------------- 
                                           RMB          RMB         US$ 
ASSETS 
Current assets 
Cash and cash equivalents                 1,693,597   2,157,997    297,380 
Restricted cash                              88,515     106,086     14,619 
Short-term investments                   21,621,992  19,773,374  2,724,844 
Accounts receivable, net                  1,358,849   1,579,851    217,709 
Amounts due from related parties, 
 current                                     63,957      65,855      9,075 
Prepaid expenses and other current 
 assets                                     336,941     308,481     42,510 
                                      -------------  ---------- 
Total current assets                     25,163,851  23,991,644  3,306,137 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Non-current assets 
Restricted cash, non-current                  5,000       5,000        689 
Property and equipment, net                 204,049     186,432     25,691 
Goodwill and intangible assets, net       4,069,637   4,051,081    558,254 
Long-term investments                       339,247     327,611     45,146 
Deferred tax assets                         308,246     308,246     42,477 
Amounts due from related parties, 
 non-current                                  3,521       5,419        747 
Other non-current assets                    128,074     136,141     18,761 
                                      -------------  ---------- 
Total non-current assets                  5,057,774   5,019,930    691,765 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Total assets                             30,221,625  29,011,574  3,997,902 
                                      =============  ==========  ========= 
 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 
Current liabilities 
Accrued expenses and other payables       2,931,869   2,233,599    307,799 
Advance from customers                      106,276     104,550     14,407 
Deferred revenue                            276,894     690,524     95,157 
Income tax payable                          185,976     177,422     24,449 
Amounts due to related parties               38,250      50,470      6,955 
Dividends payable                           990,529           -          - 
Total current liabilities                 4,529,794   3,256,565    448,767 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Non-current liabilities 
Other liabilities                            23,103      35,102      4,837 
Deferred tax liabilities                    468,078     465,300     64,120 
                                      -------------  ---------- 
Total non-current liabilities               491,181     500,402     68,957 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Total liabilities                         5,020,975   3,756,967    517,724 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
 
MEZZANINE EQUITY 
Convertible redeemable 
 noncontrolling interests                 1,931,529   1,977,183    272,463 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
 
EQUITY 
Total Autohome shareholders' equity      23,951,737  24,003,691  3,307,797 
Noncontrolling interests                  (682,616)   (726,267)  (100,082) 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Total equity                             23,269,121  23,277,424  3,207,715 
                                      -------------  ----------  --------- 
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity 
 and equity                              30,221,625  29,011,574  3,997,902 
                                      =============  ==========  ========= 
 
 
[1] The reporting currency of the Company is Renminbi ("RMB"). For readers' 
convenience, certain amounts throughout the release are presented in US 
dollars ("US$"). Unless otherwise noted, all conversions from RMB to US$ are 
translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 to RMB7.2567 on March 31, 2025 
in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs 
purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made 
that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at such 
rate. 
[2] For more information on this and other non-GAAP financial measures, please 
see the section captioned "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables 
captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of Non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth 
at the end of this release. 
 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autohome-inc-announces-unaudited-first-quarter-2025-financial-results-302449778.html

SOURCE Autohome Inc.

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 08, 2025 05:30 ET (09:30 GMT)

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