Honda Motor, Ford Motor, General Motors, PSA Peugeot and Fiat SpAhighlighted in Zacks Analyst Blog:

News provided by

Jan 16, 2013, 09:30 ET

CHICAGO, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Honda Motor Co. (HMC), Ford Motor Co. (F), General Motors Company (GM), PSA Peugeot (PEUGY) and Fiat SpA (FIATY).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)

Today, Zacks is promoting Four daily picks are offered free.

Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog:

Honda to Trim Jobs in Europe

Honda Motor Co. (HMC) plans to terminate 800 jobs at its South Marston plant near Swindon in southwest England due to sagging demand for its vehicles in Europe. The job cut would take place in the second quarter of the year.

The plant, which manufactures Civic, Jazz and CR-V models, has an annual production capacity of 250,000 cars. The company employs 3,500 people at the plant and produced 150,000 vehicles in 2012.

Many global automakers, including Ford Motor Co. (F) and General Motors Company (GM), and many European automakers such as PSA Peugeot (PEUGY) and Fiat SpA (FIATY) are resorting to job cuts and plant closures, as it became no longer feasible for them to undertake full-fledged operations in the continent. Honda is no exception. Demand for cars continues to slump in Europe's major markets, including France and Germany.

Last year, Honda added 500 workers and invested £267 million ($430 million) in the South Marston plant in anticipation of higher demand for its vehicles. However, sales in the continent, mainly Spain and Greece, fell by nearly a million, disappointing the company and prompting it to cut jobs.

Honda, a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) stock, reported a 36.1% rise in profits to ¥82.23 billion ($1.06 billion) or ¥45.63 (59 cents) per share in the second quarter of its fiscal 2013 ending Mar 31, 2013 from ¥60.43 billion or ¥33.53 per share in the year-ago quarter. However, earnings per share in the quarter lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 33 cents.

Consolidated net sales and other operating revenues in the quarter appreciated 20.4% to ¥2.27 trillion ($29.27 billion) driven by higher revenues from the company's Automobile segment with the recovery from the impact of twin disaster in Japan in 2011, offset partially by unfavorable foreign currency translation effects.Despite better results, Honda downgraded its revenue and earnings guidance for fiscal 2013 due to a negative impact from increased SG&A expenses and R&D expenses, and unfavorable currency translation effect.

The company has projected revenues to improve 23.3% ¥9.80 trillion, operating profits to rise 124.8% to ¥520 billion, net profit to go up 77.3% to ¥375 billion and earnings per share of ¥208.07 for the year. This compared with the prior outlook of a 29.6% increase in revenues to ¥10.30 trillion, 168% rise in operating profits to ¥620 billion, 122.2% increase in net profit to ¥470 billion and earnings per share of ¥260.78 for the year.

Today, Zacks is promoting Four daily picks are offered free.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
[email protected]
http://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.