Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Ford Motor from a “buy” to a “hold,” adding to a generally cautious analyst backdrop. Ford’s consensus rating remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $13.56.
• Ford’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $0.66 EPS versus a $0.18 estimate and revenue of $43.25 billion, above forecasts. Revenue also rose 6.4% year over year.
• Despite solid fundamentals, the stock has been volatile: shares were noted as down 7.6% in the report and some recent commentary suggests investors may be taking profits after a sharp rally tied to enthusiasm around Ford’s energy storage positioning.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on F. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ford Motor from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Wednesday. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Down 7.6%

Shares of Ford Motor stock opened at $13.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.15 and a 200 day moving average of $13.01. The firm has a market cap of $53.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.64, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.65. Ford Motor has a 1 year low of $9.88 and a 1 year high of $14.94.

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

Insider Activity at Ford Motor

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

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 10,999 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,683 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 18,327 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 16.5% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,470 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,697 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ford Motor News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ford Motor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford’s recent rally was driven by enthusiasm over its positioning in the energy storage market, which some analysts view as a potentially high-growth opportunity and a reason the stock surged sharply earlier in the week.
• Positive Sentiment: The stock remains a trending name with heavy investor attention, which can help sustain trading momentum if sentiment around the company’s strategy stays positive. Ford Motor Company (F) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its sector perform rating and set a $13 price target, implying limited upside from current levels and reinforcing a more cautious stance. Ford Motor had its sector perform rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Ford as one of the top dividend alternatives to low-yielding bonds and cash-like investments may support the stock for income-focused investors, but it is not a direct catalyst. The S&P 500 Barely Yields 2%. These 3 Dividend Stocks Under $30 Are Doing Much Better Than That
• Negative Sentiment: Ford is giving back part of this week’s big gains, with traders likely taking profits after the stock’s rapid move higher.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns about the auto industry, including more than 20,000 U.S. salaried job cuts at Detroit automakers amid AI-related disruption, may add to investor caution around Ford. Detroit automakers have cut more than 20,000 U.S. salaried jobs as AI threat looms
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term trading commentary now frames Ford’s surge as potentially overextended, with some articles suggesting the rally may be running out of steam. Stock Of The Day: Where Will The Ford Rally End?

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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