Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Stock Price Up 3.2% – Time to Buy?

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s stock price shot up 3.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $14.55 and last traded at $14.44. Approximately 45,097,236 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 59,276,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

F has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $14.50 to $17.50 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Eight 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.68.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $57.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $48.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.24 billion. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 3.93% and a positive return on equity of 17.23%. The company’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Ford Motor Company will post 1.86 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is currently -32.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the 1st quarter worth approximately $304,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 41.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 147,760 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 43,385 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at approximately $172,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ford Motor by 26.3% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 267,895 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 55,741 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 1.5% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 1,823,614 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $19,786,000 after buying an additional 26,526 shares during the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.