Honda Motor Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:HMC)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 2,182 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 228% compared to the typical volume of 665 call options.

Honda Motor Trading Up 13.3 %

HMC stock traded up $3.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $27.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,887,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 968,298. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $46.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $27.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.34. Honda Motor has a 1-year low of $23.41 and a 1-year high of $37.90.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $36.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.60 billion. Honda Motor had a net margin of 4.53% and a return on equity of 7.53%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Honda Motor will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Honda Motor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 2nd. UBS Group upgraded Honda Motor from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Institutional Trading of Honda Motor

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Honda Motor by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,345,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,273,000 after buying an additional 227,890 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp increased its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 1.8% during the third quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,097,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,557,000 after acquiring an additional 36,221 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 52.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,355,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,021,000 after purchasing an additional 466,842 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Honda Motor by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 442,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,265,000 after purchasing an additional 41,216 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Honda Motor by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 348,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,046,000 after purchasing an additional 18,134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.32% of the company’s stock.

About Honda Motor

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.