Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $58.26 Million Stock Position in Ford Motor Company $F

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group raised its stake in Ford by 4.6% in Q4 and now owns 4,440,584 shares worth about $58.26 million (roughly 0.11% of the company).
• Insider William Clay Ford Jr. bought 140,000 shares at an average $13.82 on Feb. 19, increasing his holdings to 3,912,600 shares (about $54.07 million) and boosting his ownership by 3.71%.
• Ford beat Q1 estimates with $0.66 EPS vs. $0.18 expected and $43.25B revenue, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 (annualized $0.60, ~4.9% yield) payable June 1.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,440,584 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 195,946 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Ford Motor worth $58,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,903 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake in Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ford Motor by 55.4% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,348 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the third quarter worth $32,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ford Motor

In other Ford Motor news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. acquired 140,000 shares of Ford Motor stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the insider owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at $54,072,132. The trade was a 3.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Ford Motor stock opened at $12.18 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $12.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84. The stock has a market cap of $48.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65. Ford Motor Company has a 12-month low of $9.88 and a 12-month high of $14.80.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $43.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $42.66 billion. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 3.22%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ford Motor Company will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio is currently -38.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on F shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Friday, March 27th. HSBC raised their price objective 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. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ford Motor presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.56.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.