Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 70.5% in September

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,380,686 shares, an increase of 70.5% from the September 15th total of 1,983,252 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 922,210 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Honda Motor Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:HMC traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $34.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 925,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,013. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.29. Honda Motor has a fifty-two week low of $23.25 and a fifty-two week high of $34.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.50. The company has a market capitalization of $53.45 billion, a PE ratio of -48.92 and a beta of 0.46.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 1st. The company reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Honda Motor had a negative return on equity of 1.30% and a negative net margin of 0.73%. The firm had revenue of $37.27 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Honda Motor will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Honda Motor from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Honda Motor in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Honda Motor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Honda Motor in a research note on Friday, September 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $34.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Institutional Trading of Honda Motor

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its holdings in Honda Motor by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 268.8% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,892 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 674.5% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 4,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Honda Motor by 9.4% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.32% of the company’s stock.

Honda Motor Company Profile

Honda Motor Co, Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and power products. The company’s automotive lineup includes passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks and electric vehicles sold primarily under the Honda brand, as well as luxury vehicles marketed through its Acura brand in select markets.

Honda also develops and sells motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, generators, lawn and garden equipment, marine engines and other power products. Through Honda Aircraft Company, it produces HondaJet light business aircraft.