Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 4.4% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• UBS upgrade sent shares up about 4.4% mid‑day to $12.69 after the firm raised Ford from Neutral to Buy and set a $15 price target.
• Analyst consensus is mixed — five Buys, eleven Holds and one Sell — resulting in an average rating of "Hold" and an average 12‑month target of $13.74.
• Insider buying: William Clay Ford Jr. bought 140,000 shares at roughly $13.82, and Ford currently pays a $0.60 annualized dividend (about a 4.7% yield).

Shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) traded up 4.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after UBS Group upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. UBS Group now has a $15.00 price target on the stock. Ford Motor traded as high as $12.75 and last traded at $12.69. 50,114,365 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 62,071,313 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.16.

F has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Ford Motor from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ford Motor

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of Ford Motor 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 in the company, valued at $54,072,132. This trade represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Ford Motor

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded Ford from "Neutral" to "Buy," citing an underappreciated path to stronger earnings over the next several years and keeping a $15 12‑month price target — a bullish endorsement that has drawn buying interest. UBS Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader media and analyst attention (coverage from Zacks, 247WallSt and others) has pushed Ford onto watchlists; this heightened visibility can amplify short-term flows but doesn't by itself change fundamentals. Zacks Trending Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its price target on Ford from $15 to $13 and kept a "Neutral" rating, trimming upside expectations and providing a counterweight to bullish calls; this can limit enthusiasm among institutional buyers. Goldman Sachs PT Change
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Jim Farley’s public comments urging continued tariffs or restrictions on Chinese automakers introduce political and regulatory headlines that could raise policy uncertainty and reputational risk, even as they signal a defensive stance to protect domestic OEMs. Farley on Chinese Cars

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in F. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,903 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Corsicana & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the third quarter worth $25,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ford Motor Trading Up 4.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The business's fifty day moving average is $12.69 and its 200 day moving average is $12.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.70.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 4.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.16%. The business had revenue of $45.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Ford Motor Company will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -29.13%.

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.

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.