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

Key Points

• Ford Motor shares rose 1.2% on Friday, trading around $12.33 on lighter-than-average volume. The stock’s recent move leaves it near its 50-day average of $12.24 but below its 200-day average of $13.00.
• Ford beat Wall Street’s Q1 expectations, reporting earnings of $0.66 per share versus the $0.18 estimate and revenue of $43.25 billion versus $42.66 billion expected. Revenue also grew 6.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $13.56, while recent calls ranged from Goldman Sachs cutting its target to $13 to Bank of America and Piper Sandler maintaining more bullish views.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $12.37 and last traded at $12.3280. 38,035,444 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 57,956,195 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

F has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Ford Motor from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $11.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ford Motor from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Five research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $12.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $49.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.95, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.65.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $43.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Ford Motor Company will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor's payout ratio is currently -38.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. acquired 140,000 shares of Ford Motor stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at $54,072,132. The trade was a 3.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $304,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Ford Motor by 41.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 147,760 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 43,385 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor in the 2nd quarter worth about $172,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 267,895 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 55,741 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 1,823,614 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $19,786,000 after purchasing an additional 26,526 shares during the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by 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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