Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Up 1.4% – Here’s What Happened

Ford Motor (NYSE:F)’s share price rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $9.35 and last traded at $9.31. Approximately 17,677,946 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 75,969,617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on F shares. Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.89.

Ford Motor Stock Down 2.0 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $9.90 and its 200 day moving average is $10.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.94 billion, a PE ratio of 6.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 16.88%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.46%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 402,083,883 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,980,630,000 after acquiring an additional 57,182,803 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Ford Motor by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 129,106,379 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,278,153,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,321 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ford Motor by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 84,078,284 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $830,662,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089,127 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Ford Motor by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 46,508,882 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $460,444,000 after purchasing an additional 4,925,993 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $387,282,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.