Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 1.2% Higher - Time to Buy?

Shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) shot up 1.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $11.88 and last traded at $11.83. 18,447,348 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 82,790,358 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Ford Motor from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $9.40 to $7.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on 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. lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Ford Motor from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.03.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $10.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.06. The company has a market capitalization of $46.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.16. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 13.49% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $40.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Ford Motor's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor Company will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Andrew Frick sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 113,939 shares in the company, valued at $1,253,329. This represents a 20.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in Ford Motor by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 31,593 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Ford Motor by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,665 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 989 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Ford Motor by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 43,775 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 1,013 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 62,199 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Finally, Partners Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 8.4% in the first quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ford Motor

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.