Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $28.77, but opened at $27.87. Honda Motor shares last traded at $27.46, with a volume of 307,151 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Honda Motor from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Honda Motor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Honda Motor Stock Down 5.2 %

The company has a market cap of $42.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $28.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.75.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $36.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.31 billion. Honda Motor had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 4.76%. Sell-side analysts predict that Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Honda Motor in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,909,000. XY Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Honda Motor during the 4th quarter valued at $1,294,000. Hedges Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Honda Motor by 91.8% during the 4th quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 28,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 13,400 shares during the period. Persium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Honda Motor in the fourth quarter valued at about $628,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Honda Motor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $572,000. 5.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.