Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 1.4% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Ford Motor Company's stock rose 1.4% following an upgrade from Jefferies Financial Group, which raised its price target from $8.00 to $9.00 despite maintaining an underperform rating.
• Multiple brokerages have since raised their price targets for Ford, with Barclays and Citigroup both increasing targets to $11.00, and JPMorgan boosting theirs to $13.00, indicating a generally optimistic outlook.
• Ford recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, providing a 5.3% yield, with a dividend payout ratio currently at 76.92%.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 1.4% on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $8.00 to $9.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has an underperform rating on the stock. Ford Motor traded as high as $11.32 and last traded at $11.30. 13,305,970 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 100,828,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.14.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on F. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ford Motor from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Andrew Frick sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 113,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,253,329. The trade was a 20.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Ford Motor by 289.1% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,533 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,882 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in Ford Motor in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new position in Ford Motor in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ford Motor Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market cap of $44.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.48. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $11.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.26.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a net margin of 1.70% and a return on equity of 12.46%. The business had revenue of $50.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $42.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ford Motor Company will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

Ford Motor Company Profile

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.

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