Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE:TM) Short Interest Up 43.3% in February

Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE:TM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,220,000 shares, an increase of 43.3% from the January 31st total of 851,100 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 389,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Toyota Motor Price Performance

NYSE:TM traded up $11.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $192.55. The stock had a trading volume of 519,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 341,089. Toyota Motor has a 12 month low of $159.04 and a 12 month high of $255.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $259.44 billion, a PE ratio of 7.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.30.

Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $9.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $5.62. Toyota Motor had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 14.00%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Toyota Motor will post 19.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Toyota Motor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TM. Abel Hall LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Toyota Motor by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Toyota Motor by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,662 shares of the company's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Commerce Bank increased its stake in Toyota Motor by 2.3% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 3,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Toyota Motor by 3.3% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Toyota Motor by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,767 shares of the company's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on TM shares. CLSA lowered Toyota Motor from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Toyota Motor from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Macquarie upgraded shares of Toyota Motor from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

About Toyota Motor

Toyota Motor Corporation designs, manufactures, assembles, and sells passenger vehicles, minivans and commercial vehicles, and related parts and accessories in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East. It operates in Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other segments.