Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

F has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ford Motor from $13.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.70.

Ford Motor Stock Down 1.9%

F opened at $13.57 on Monday. Ford Motor has a 1-year low of $10.68 and a 1-year high of $17.78. The stock has a market cap of $54.06 billion, a PE ratio of -8.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $43.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.66 billion. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 3.22% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. Ford Motor’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth $674,437,000. SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. bought a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,769,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,908,234 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,036,000 after acquiring an additional 189,310 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ford Motor by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,345,131 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $57,008,000 after acquiring an additional 103,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 125,292 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 86,445 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Ford Motor

Here are the key news stories impacting Ford Motor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford and Micron signed a long-term semiconductor supply agreement for Ford’s next-generation vehicles, which should help secure memory and storage components for future production and may support the company’s software-driven vehicle plans. Micron, Ford sign semiconductor supply agreement for vehicles
• Positive Sentiment: Ford received a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) upgrade, reflecting improving earnings expectations and near-term optimism about the stock. All You Need to Know About Ford Motor (F) Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to rate Ford at an average “Hold,” suggesting the stock still faces balanced views from Wall Street. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Ford announced a recall of more than 110,000 Mustang, Mustang GTD and Mustang Mach-E vehicles due to windshield wiper and rear drivetrain defects, raising safety and liability concerns. Ford to recall over 110,000 US vehicles over wiper, pinion shaft issues, NHTSA says
• Negative Sentiment: Ford is also dealing with weakness in its EV business, with reports that sales of its flagship EVs fell sharply and the company is resetting EV plans after a sales slump and supplier disruption. Ford (F) Resets EV Plans After Sales Slump And Supplier Fire

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.