Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Upgraded to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies upgraded Ford Motor to “buy” from “hold” and raised its price target to $17.50 from $14.50, implying approximately 22% upside from the stock’s $14.35 opening price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Ford has an average “hold” rating and a consensus price target of $15.15, despite several recent upgrades from other firms.
• Ford’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $0.66 versus a $0.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $43.25 billion, up 6.4% year over year.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $17.50 target price on the auto manufacturer's stock, up from their prior target price of $14.50. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.99% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on F. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research raised Ford Motor from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Ford Motor from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Ford Motor from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ford Motor currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.15.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of F stock opened at $14.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $57.16 billion, a PE ratio of -9.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.82. Ford Motor has a 1 year low of $10.68 and a 1 year high of $17.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.44.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 3.22% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The business had revenue of $43.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ford Motor will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 1st quarter valued at $304,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Ford Motor by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 147,760 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,482,000 after buying an additional 43,385 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at $172,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Ford Motor by 26.3% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 267,895 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $2,907,000 after acquiring an additional 55,741 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Ford Motor by 1.5% during the second 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 acquiring an additional 26,526 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company's stock.

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.

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