Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Down 3.2% on Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Shares fell 3.2% after Citigroup cut its price target to $13.00 (neutral); Ford traded as low as $11.46 with about 50.8M shares changing hands, below average volume.
• Analysts remain mixed: several firms adjusted targets up or down, but the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $13.56.
• Ford reported an earnings beat (Q EPS $0.66 vs. $0.18) and declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend, implying an annualized yield of about 5.2%.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) shares fell 3.2% during mid-day trading on Monday after Citigroup lowered their price target on the stock from $13.50 to $13.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Ford Motor traded as low as $11.46 and last traded at $11.5050. 50,818,504 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 58,672,051 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.88.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on F. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $9.80 to $12.80 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. bought 140,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $54,072,132. This trade represents a 3.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Ford Motor during the first quarter worth about $304,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Ford Motor by 41.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 147,760 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 43,385 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at about $172,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 267,895 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $2,907,000 after acquiring an additional 55,741 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 1,823,614 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $19,786,000 after purchasing an additional 26,526 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.74% of the company's stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $45.90 billion, a PE ratio of -7.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.66. The company's 50 day moving average price is $12.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.00.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 3.22%.The business had revenue of $43.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. Ford Motor's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ford Motor Company will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio is currently -38.71%.

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.

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