Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,940,000 shares, an increase of 31.1% from the March 15th total of 4,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,270,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Honda Motor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HMC traded up $0.36 on Thursday, hitting $30.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 185,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,112. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.20 and a 200-day moving average of $28.16. Honda Motor has a 12-month low of $23.41 and a 12-month high of $34.99. The company has a market capitalization of $46.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.57.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.37. Honda Motor had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 4.76%. The firm had revenue of $36.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.31 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Honda Motor will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HMC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Honda Motor in a research report on Monday, April 14th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised Honda Motor from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honda Motor

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,594,299 shares of the company's stock worth $45,517,000 after purchasing an additional 158,072 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Honda Motor by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,255,537 shares of the company's stock worth $35,846,000 after buying an additional 81,548 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Honda Motor by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,099,698 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,396,000 after buying an additional 452,624 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Honda Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $23,272,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 153.8% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 668,092 shares of the company's stock worth $19,074,000 after acquiring an additional 404,883 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.32% of the company's stock.

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.