Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 5,171 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 193% compared to the average volume of 1,766 call options.

Honda Motor Price Performance

Shares of HMC stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $29.76. 255,963 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,071,533. Honda Motor has a 52-week low of $23.41 and a 52-week high of $34.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $46.44 billion, a PE ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $28.14 and a 200 day moving average of $28.14.

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $36.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.31 billion. Honda Motor had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 4.76%. Research analysts anticipate that Honda Motor will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HMC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Honda Motor in a report on Monday, April 14th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Honda Motor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honda Motor

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lido Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Honda Motor by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 18,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $535,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Honda Motor by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 49,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,404,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Honda Motor by 50.4% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 5,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Honda Motor by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 40,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. 5.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.