Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Stock Price Up 0.7% Following Strong Earnings

Shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) were up 0.7% on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $10.32 and last traded at $10.24. Approximately 25,890,836 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 67,536,836 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.16.

The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 16.16% and a net margin of 1.93%.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.49%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is 68.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on F. Barclays cut shares of Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Ford Motor from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $11.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $9.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.04.

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 29.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,464,980 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $15,998,000 after purchasing an additional 336,720 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,394,681 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $46,408,000 after buying an additional 160,409 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,456,000. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the fourth quarter worth $10,853,000. Finally, ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 93.4% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,181,128 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $12,473,000 after acquiring an additional 570,293 shares in the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ford Motor Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a fifty day moving average of $10.10 and a 200-day moving average of $10.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.76 billion, a PE ratio of 10.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.63.

Ford Motor Company Profile

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.