Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading Down 1.2% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Ford shares dipped about 1.2% to roughly $12.09 on Wednesday with mid-day volume down ~29% versus the average, leaving the stock below its 50‑day moving average but near its 200‑day level and with a market cap of about $48.3 billion.
• Analysts are mixed — the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $13.29, though recent notes include buy/upgrade calls (Bank of America $17, JPMorgan $15, Piper Sandler $16) and at least one downgrade to sell.
• Ford beat the latest quarter's estimates (EPS $0.13 vs. $0.06; revenue $45.89B vs. $41.78B) but still shows a negative net margin and year‑over‑year revenue decline; the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.15 (about a 5.0% yield) and insider William Clay Ford Jr. recently bought 140,000 shares.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) was down 1.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $12.03 and last traded at $12.0950. Approximately 49,977,304 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 70,116,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on F. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $17.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ford Motor from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Ford Motor from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.29.

Ford Motor Price Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average is $13.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a PE ratio of -5.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $45.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $41.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.39 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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 was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. Ford Motor's payout ratio is presently -29.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ford Motor

In related news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.82 per share, for a total transaction of $1,934,800.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ford Motor by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 471,705,454 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $6,188,776,000 after buying an additional 4,087,699 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,017,084 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,994,464,000 after acquiring an additional 4,089,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 106,600,353 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,394,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,349 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter valued at about $674,437,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Ford Motor by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 45,857,344 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $601,687,000 after purchasing an additional 125,534 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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