Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $27.54, but opened at $28.95. Honda Motor shares last traded at $28.48, with a volume of 132,768 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HMC. StockNews.com lowered Honda Motor from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 2nd. UBS Group raised shares of Honda Motor from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th.

Honda Motor Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $27.54 and its 200-day moving average is $29.44. The company has a market cap of $43.51 billion, a PE ratio of 6.88 and a beta of 0.58.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.43). Honda Motor had a net margin of 4.53% and a return on equity of 7.53%. The company had revenue of $36.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.60 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Honda Motor

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 31.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,382 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,839 shares of the company's stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 156,756 shares of the company's stock worth $4,974,000 after buying an additional 25,718 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Honda Motor by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 1,811 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Honda Motor by 139.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,329 shares of the company's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 4,853 shares during the period. 5.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.