Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) Short Interest Update

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,460,000 shares, a growth of 8.3% from the January 15th total of 4,120,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded Honda Motor from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Honda Motor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honda Motor

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HMC. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Honda Motor by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,345,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,273,000 after purchasing an additional 227,890 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp grew its holdings in Honda Motor by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,097,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,557,000 after buying an additional 36,221 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Honda Motor by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,594,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,517,000 after acquiring an additional 158,072 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in Honda Motor by 52.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,355,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,021,000 after acquiring an additional 466,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Honda Motor by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,255,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,846,000 after acquiring an additional 81,548 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 5.32% of the company’s stock.

Honda Motor Stock Performance

HMC stock traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,122,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,301,315. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.21 billion, a PE ratio of 6.84 and a beta of 0.58. Honda Motor has a fifty-two week low of $23.41 and a fifty-two week high of $37.90.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.37. Honda Motor had a return on equity of 7.53% and a net margin of 4.53%. The business had revenue of $36.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.31 billion. Analysts anticipate that Honda Motor will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Honda Motor Company Profile

Honda Motor Co, Ltd. develops, manufactures, and distributes motorcycles, automobiles, power, and other products in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Motorcycle Business, Automobile Business, Financial Services Business, and Power Product and Other Businesses.