Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Key Points

• Ford Motor Company experienced a significant increase in call options trading, with 208,689 call options purchased, marking a 154% rise from the average volume.
• Several brokerages have upgraded their price targets for Ford, with JPMorgan Chase raising its target from $12.00 to $13.00, reflecting improved analyst sentiment towards the stock.
• Ford announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 5.0%, with a payout ratio currently at 76.92%.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 208,689 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 154% compared to the average volume of 82,207 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on F. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $9.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ford Motor currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $10.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ford Motor

In other Ford Motor news, insider Andrew Frick sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 113,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,253,329. This trade represents a 20.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ford Motor by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 13,428 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,557 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 32,198 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 31,593 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 13,707 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Shares of Ford Motor stock traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.03. The stock had a trading volume of 84,432,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 92,769,508. The stock's 50 day moving average is $11.47 and its 200 day moving average is $10.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.52. Ford Motor has a twelve month low of $8.44 and a twelve month high of $12.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a net margin of 1.70% and a return on equity of 12.46%. The firm had revenue of $50.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. Ford Motor's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

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.

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