Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 3.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) shares were up 3.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $13.80 and last traded at $13.6650. Approximately 72,347,767 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average daily volume of 61,123,551 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on F shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $12.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $54.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.82, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.65.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 3.22% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The company had revenue of $43.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Ford Motor’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ford Motor Company will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently -38.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in F. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 10,999 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,683 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the period. CRA Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 18,327 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,470 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the period. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,697 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is 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.