Ford Motor Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:F)

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 297,221 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 176% compared to the typical daily volume of 107,847 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

F has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $12.50 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $9.80 to $12.80 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.02.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in Ford Motor by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,903 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Corsicana & Co. bought a new position in Ford Motor during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Trading Up 0.7%

F opened at $14.10 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.62 and its 200-day moving average is $12.66. Ford Motor has a 1-year low of $8.44 and a 1-year high of $14.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The company has a market cap of $56.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.84, a PEG ratio of 5.93 and a beta of 1.66.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 4.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.16%. The business had revenue of $45.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is presently -29.13%.

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.