Zacks Research Upgrades Ford Motor (NYSE:F) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Ford Motor from “hold” to “strong-buy,” signaling a more bullish near-term view on the stock.
• Despite the upgrade, Wall Street is still mixed on Ford: the stock’s overall consensus rating remains “Hold”, with a consensus target price of $14.70.
• Ford recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.66 EPS versus a $0.18 estimate and revenue of $43.25 billion, while news this week also highlighted a semiconductor supply deal with Micron and a major vehicle recall.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.70.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of F stock opened at $13.57 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.37. Ford Motor has a 52 week low of $10.68 and a 52 week high of $17.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.06 billion, a PE ratio of -8.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.82.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $43.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.66 billion. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 3.22% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in F. Maripau Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Maripau Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,606 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 10,999 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 756 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Ford Motor by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,683 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Ford Motor by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 18,327 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Ford Motor by 2.3% during the first quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC now owns 34,714 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares during the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ford Motor News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ford Motor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford and Micron signed a long-term semiconductor supply agreement for Ford’s next-generation vehicles, which should help secure memory and storage components for future production and may support the company’s software-driven vehicle plans. Micron, Ford sign semiconductor supply agreement for vehicles
• Positive Sentiment: Ford received a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) upgrade, reflecting improving earnings expectations and near-term optimism about the stock. All You Need to Know About Ford Motor (F) Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to rate Ford at an average “Hold,” suggesting the stock still faces balanced views from Wall Street. Ford Motor Company NYSE: F Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Ford announced a recall of more than 110,000 Mustang, Mustang GTD and Mustang Mach-E vehicles due to windshield wiper and rear drivetrain defects, raising safety and liability concerns. Ford to recall over 110,000 US vehicles over wiper, pinion shaft issues, NHTSA says
• Negative Sentiment: Ford is also dealing with weakness in its EV business, with reports that sales of its flagship EVs fell sharply and the company is resetting EV plans after a sales slump and supplier disruption. Ford (F) Resets EV Plans After Sales Slump And Supplier Fire

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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