BEIJING, Feb. 20, 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 and full year ended December 31, 2024.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Highlights[1]
Full Year 2024 Highlights[1]
Mr. Song Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Autohome, stated, “Throughout the year, we focused on integrating our online-to-offline ecosystem, achieving significant milestones in user growth, content matrix enhancements, new retail business expansion, and the promotion of AI applications. According to QuestMobile, our average mobile daily active users increased by 13.6% year-over-year to 77.48 million in December 2024, underscoring the effectiveness of our content-driven approach. We are also excited about the rapid expansion of our franchised Autohome Space and satellite stores, which now exceed 150 in total — significantly broadening our offline presence and further reinforcing our service offerings.”
“In terms of technological innovation, we have seamlessly integrated AI across all aspects of our services – from content creation for consumers to operational management and decision-making analysis for clients. Looking ahead, we will deepen resource deployment across targeted regional markets, refine our business model, and enhance operational efficiency. By establishing a virtuous online to offline cycle, we are driving Autohome to new heights.”
Mr. Craig Yan Zeng, Chief Financial Officer of Autohome, added, “We concluded 2024 with several significant breakthroughs across our innovative businesses. Online marketplace and others revenues increased by 8.1% year-over-year in 2024, driving total revenues for the year to RMB7.04 billion. Our new retail business has emerged as a clear growth driver as we further refine and improve the effectiveness of our business model. Looking ahead to 2025, we will continue to strategically invest in innovative growth initiatives in order to achieve our dual objectives of business expansion and financial stability.”
Unaudited Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Net Revenues
Net revenues were RMB1,783.4 million (US$244.3 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB1,911.4 million in the corresponding period of 2023.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues was RMB428.6 million (US$58.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB367.9 million in the corresponding period of 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in operational costs. Share-based compensation expenses included in cost of revenues in the fourth quarter of 2024 were RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million), compared to RMB1.4 million in the corresponding period of 2023.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses were RMB1,177.0 million (US$161.2 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB1,242.8 million in the corresponding period of 2023.
Operating Profit
Operating profit was RMB232.4 million (US$31.8 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB366.7 million in the corresponding period of 2023.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense was RMB31.4 million (US$4.3 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to an income tax expense of RMB127.6 million in the corresponding period of 2023. The decrease in income tax expense was primarily attributable to a timing difference in withholding tax which was largely accrued in the fourth quarter of 2023, following the declaration of the new cash dividend policy in December 2023.
Net Income attributable to Autohome
Net income attributable to Autohome was RMB320.5 million (US$43.9 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB446.7 million in the corresponding period of 2023.
Net Income attributable to Ordinary Shareholders and Earnings per Share/ADS
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB304.4 million (US$41.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB432.1 million in the corresponding period of 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) were RMB0.63 (US$0.09) and RMB0.62 (US$0.08), respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB0.89 and RMB0.89, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB2.51 (US$0.34) and RMB2.50 (US$0.34), respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB3.57 and RMB3.56, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2023.
Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP EPS/ADS
Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) was RMB486.5 million (US$66.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to RMB502.8 million in the corresponding period of 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB1.00 (US$0.14) and RMB1.00 (US$0.14), respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.04 and RMB1.04, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB4.02 (US$0.55) and RMB3.99 (US$0.55), respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB4.15 and RMB4.14, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2023.
Unaudited Full Year 2024 Financial Results
Net Revenues
Net revenues in 2024 were RMB7,039.6 million (US$964.4 million), compared to RMB7,184.1 million in 2023.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues was RMB1,483.2 million (US$203.2 million) in 2024, compared to RMB1,411.9 million in 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in operational costs. Share-based compensation expense included in cost of revenues was RMB8.1 million (US$1.1 million) in 2024, compared to RMB8.0 million in 2023.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses were RMB4,841.4 million (US$663.3 million) in 2024, compared to RMB4,898.9 million in 2023.
Operating Profit
Operating profit was RMB1,003.5 million (US$137.5 million) in 2024, compared to RMB1,137.4 million in 2023.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense was RMB63.0 million (US$8.6 million) in 2024, compared to an income tax expense of RMB72.2 million in 2023.
Net Income attributable to Autohome
Net income attributable to Autohome was RMB1,681.1 million (US$230.3 million) in 2024, compared to RMB1,935.3 million in 2023.
Net Income attributable to Ordinary Shareholders and Earnings per Share/ADS
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB1,619.6 million (US$221.9 million) in 2024, compared to RMB1,880.1 million in 2023. Basic and diluted EPS were RMB3.34 (US$0.46) and RMB3.33 (US$0.46), respectively, in 2024 as compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB3.84 and RMB3.83, respectively, in 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB13.36 (US$1.83) and RMB13.31 (US$1.82), respectively, in 2024 as compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB15.35 and RMB15.31, respectively, in 2023.
Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP Earnings per Share/ADS
Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) was RMB2,050.0 million (US$280.9 million) in 2024, compared to RMB2,159.6 million in 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB4.23 (US$0.58) and RMB4.21 (US$0.58), respectively, in 2024 as compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB4.41 and RMB4.40, respectively, in 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB16.91 (US$2.32) and RMB16.85 (US$2.31), respectively, in 2024 as compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB17.63 and RMB17.58, respectively, in 2023.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB23.32 billion (US$3.19 billion). Net cash provided by operating activities in the year of 2024 was RMB1,373.1 million (US$188.1 million).
Employees
The Company had 4,415 employees as of December 31, 2024, including 1,332 employees from TTP Car, Inc.
Conference Call Information
The Company will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, February 20, 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.vevent.com/register/BI255a7f8360974da5ae7ffaf90252fa85
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, investment loss/(gain) relating to non-operating impact of a write-down of the initial investment in a financial product, loss/(gain) pickup of equity method investments, and non-recurring employee severance costs, 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 December 31,
For year ended December 31,
2023
2024
2023
2024
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
Net revenues:
Media services
500,477
436,819
59,844
1,870,819
1,523,075
208,660
Leads generation services
841,486
758,443
103,906
3,111,805
3,135,885
429,614
Online marketplace and others
569,478
588,174
80,580
2,201,511
2,380,627
326,145
Total net revenues
1,911,441
1,783,436
244,330
7,184,135
7,039,587
964,419
Cost of revenues
(367,888)
(428,559)
(58,712)
(1,411,881)
(1,483,220)
(203,200)
Gross profit
1,543,553
1,354,877
185,618
5,772,254
5,556,367
761,219
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing expenses
(730,094)
(717,812)
(98,340)
(3,012,479)
(2,988,169)
(409,377)
General and administrative
expenses
(156,797)
(131,168)
(17,970)
(537,979)
(534,809)
(73,269)
Product development expenses
(355,924)
(327,987)
(44,934)
(1,348,472)
(1,318,443)
(180,626)
Total operating expenses
(1,242,815)
(1,176,967)
(161,244)
(4,898,930)
(4,841,421)
(663,272)
Other operating income, net
65,976
54,498
7,466
264,101
288,551
39,531
Operating profit
366,714
232,408
31,840
1,137,425
1,003,497
137,478
Interest and investment income,
net
195,813
189,062
25,901
831,006
791,905
108,491
Share of results of equity
method investments
7,361
(77,389)
(10,602)
29,133
(109,094)
(14,946)
Income before income taxes
569,888
344,081
47,139
1,997,564
1,686,308
231,023
Income tax expense
(127,566)
(31,375)
(4,298)
(72,155)
(62,959)
(8,625)
Net income
442,322
312,706
42,841
1,925,409
1,623,349
222,398
Net loss attributable to
noncontrolling interests
4,414
7,817
1,071
9,901
57,774
7,915
Net income attributable to
Autohome
446,736
320,523
43,912
1,935,310
1,681,123
230,313
Accretion of mezzanine equity
(39,805)
(44,006)
(6,029)
(153,294)
(172,596)
(23,646)
Accretion attributable to
noncontrolling interests
25,184
27,895
3,822
98,071
111,035
15,212
Net income attributable to
ordinary shareholders
432,115
304,412
41,705
1,880,087
1,619,562
221,879
Earnings per share
attributable to ordinary
shareholders
Basic
0.89
0.63
0.09
