Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on F. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.29.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Ford Motor stock opened at $11.78 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The stock has a market cap of $46.99 billion, a PE ratio of -5.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65. Ford Motor has a 12-month low of $8.44 and a 12-month high of $14.80. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.93.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 4.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.16%. The firm had revenue of $45.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. bought 140,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,912,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,072,132. This trade represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ford Motor by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 471,705,454 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $6,188,776,000 after buying an additional 4,087,699 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ford Motor by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,017,084 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,994,464,000 after buying an additional 4,089,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ford Motor by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 106,600,353 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,394,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,349 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at $674,437,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 45,857,344 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $601,687,000 after acquiring an additional 125,534 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Company Profile

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the company became an early pioneer of mass-production techniques with the Model T and the adoption of the moving assembly line. Today, Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of vehicles and mobility solutions under the Ford and Lincoln brands, spanning passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vehicles.

Ford’s business activities extend beyond vehicle production to include parts and aftermarket services, fleet and commercial sales, and automotive financing through Ford Motor Credit Company.