Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

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

Several other research firms have also issued reports on F. Bank of America initiated coverage on Ford Motor in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ford Motor from $12.50 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.29.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of F stock opened at $11.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.45 and a 200-day moving average of $12.93. Ford Motor has a one year low of $8.44 and a one year high of $14.80. The company has a market cap of $46.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65.

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

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is presently -29.13%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at $54,072,132. This represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $674,437,000. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 3rd quarter valued at $299,000,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 712.7% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 19,572,437 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $212,361,000 after buying an additional 17,164,234 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ford Motor by 610.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,177,304 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $146,646,000 after purchasing an additional 9,603,267 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,153,383 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $500,572,000 after buying an additional 8,086,564 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

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.