Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

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

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $9.80 to $12.80 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $11.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.29.

Ford Motor Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE F opened at $11.78 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.99 billion, a PE ratio of -5.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $13.45 and its 200 day moving average is $12.93. Ford Motor has a twelve month low of $8.44 and a twelve month high of $14.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 10.16% and a negative net margin of 4.37%.The business had revenue of $45.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is currently -29.13%.

Insider Activity at Ford Motor

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $13.82 per share, for a total transaction of $1,934,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at $54,072,132. This represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 471,705,454 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $6,188,776,000 after purchasing an additional 4,087,699 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ford Motor by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,017,084 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $1,994,464,000 after buying an additional 4,089,779 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ford Motor by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 106,600,353 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $1,394,697,000 after buying an additional 1,255,349 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter worth about $674,437,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 45,857,344 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $601,687,000 after acquiring an additional 125,534 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ford Motor

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.