Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 1.7% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s share price rose 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $14.04 and last traded at $14.0090. Approximately 66,971,578 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 69,834,523 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Zacks Research raised Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $12.50 to $15.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, HSBC raised their price target on Ford Motor from $9.80 to $12.80 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.02.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $55.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $13.67 and its 200-day moving average is $12.74.

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

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is -29.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of F. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 11,822,986 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $128,279,000 after purchasing an additional 813,800 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Ford Motor by 7.3% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,476,340 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $81,118,000 after buying an additional 510,473 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its stake in Ford Motor by 1,280.3% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 2,919,334 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $31,675,000 after buying an additional 2,707,834 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Ford Motor by 3.2% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 9,055,356 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $98,251,000 after buying an additional 279,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the third quarter worth approximately $2,187,000. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.