Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 113,700,000 shares, a drop of 6.9% from the June 15th total of 122,150,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 46,870,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on F shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on Ford Motor from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Ford Motor in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Ford Motor from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. sold 81,234 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total transaction of $982,119.06. Following the transaction, the director now owns 168,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,038,386.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the second quarter worth $25,000. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ford Motor by 1,997.9% during the 1st quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,035 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in Ford Motor by 835.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 2,059 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ford Motor by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:F traded up $0.27 during trading on Thursday, reaching $14.75. The company had a trading volume of 12,486,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,790,141. Ford Motor has a fifty-two week low of $9.63 and a fifty-two week high of $14.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $12.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.62.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $42.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.93 billion. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 17.63%. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.07%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is 61.86%.

Ford Motor Company Profile

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.