Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Stock Price Up 4.1% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Shares rose 4.1% mid-day to about $12.17 (high $12.25) with ~48.5M shares traded, down ~17% from the average daily volume.
• Ford beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $0.66 vs. $0.18 and revenue of $43.25B (up 6.4% YoY), but the company still posted a negative net margin of -3.22%.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $13.56 (5 Buys, 10 Holds, 1 Sell), and Ford declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~4.9%).

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) shares rose 4.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $12.25 and last traded at $12.1650. Approximately 48,507,484 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 58,365,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

F has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays increased their target price on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC increased their target price on Ford Motor from $9.80 to $12.80 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.00. The stock has a market cap of $48.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.09.

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

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $13.82 per share, with a total value 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. The trade was a 3.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,903 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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.