Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating. The stock had previously closed at $27.54, but opened at $25.93. Honda Motor shares last traded at $25.80, with a volume of 661,067 shares trading hands.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Honda Motor in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Nomura upgraded shares of Honda Motor to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Honda Motor in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Honda Motor presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Honda Motor

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Honda Motor by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 285,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,737,000 after acquiring an additional 22,479 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Honda Motor by 29.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 9,001 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 5.8% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 8,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Honda Motor by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 342,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,292,000 after purchasing an additional 100,330 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Honda Motor by 121.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,161 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.32% of the company’s stock.

Honda Motor Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.27, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $30.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.94.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $29.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.34 billion. Honda Motor had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 4.01%. Honda Motor has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.462-1.462 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Honda Motor

Honda Motor Co, Ltd. is a global manufacturer and mobility company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa. The company’s core businesses include the design, manufacture and sale of automobiles and motorcycles, along with a diverse portfolio of power products, engines and related components. Honda also operates in aviation through Honda Aircraft Company and offers financial services that support vehicle sales and leasing.

In automobiles, Honda is known for a range of passenger cars, crossovers and light trucks, and in motorcycles it is one of the world’s leading producers by volume and model breadth.