Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Receives Sector Perform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reiterated its “sector perform” rating on Ford Motor and kept a $13 price target, implying modest downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment on Ford remains mixed overall: the stock carries an average Hold rating, with a consensus target price of about $13.56.
• Ford’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with $0.66 EPS and $43.25 billion in revenue, both above estimates and up 6.4% year over year.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sector perform" rating reiterated by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $13.00 price objective on the auto manufacturer's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target suggests a potential downside of 3.44% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.56.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE F traded down $1.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.46. The company had a trading volume of 27,933,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 60,319,094. 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 has a twelve month low of $9.88 and a twelve month high of $14.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $12.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.65 billion, a PE ratio of -8.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.65.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $43.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.66 billion. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 3.22%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. acquired 140,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.82 per share, for a total transaction of $1,934,800.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,072,132. This represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth about $674,437,000. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Ford Motor during the third quarter worth approximately $299,000,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Ford Motor by 81.1% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 35,438,722 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $423,847,000 after acquiring an additional 15,866,285 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $146,646,000 after acquiring an additional 9,603,267 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 26.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 8,086,564 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company's stock.

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.

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