Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Up 2.8% – Here’s Why

Ford Motor (NYSE:F)’s share price rose 2.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $9.90 and last traded at $9.88. Approximately 42,012,509 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 82,892,422 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $12.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.77.

Ford Motor Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.80, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $9.72 and its 200-day moving average is $10.39.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 3.18%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,464,980 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $15,998,000 after purchasing an additional 336,720 shares during the last quarter. NCP Inc. increased its stake in Ford Motor by 62.0% in the fourth quarter. NCP Inc. now owns 74,520 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 28,528 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 3.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,394,681 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $46,408,000 after purchasing an additional 160,409 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the third quarter worth $55,456,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 87.1% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 196,100 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,941,000 after buying an additional 91,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

About Ford Motor

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.