Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Down 3.6% Following Analyst Downgrade

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) was down 3.6% during trading on Thursday after StockNews.com downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a sell rating. The company traded as low as $9.03 and last traded at $9.16. Approximately 36,007,770 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 69,092,704 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.50.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Ford Motor from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $9.40 to $7.00 in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Ford Motor from $13.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of F. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 402,083,883 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,980,630,000 after acquiring an additional 57,182,803 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at $387,282,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 88.0% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 22,512,285 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $222,872,000 after acquiring an additional 10,535,335 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Ford Motor by 2,905.1% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 7,989,463 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $79,096,000 after acquiring an additional 7,723,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 129,106,379 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,278,153,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Up 2.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a PE ratio of 6.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $9.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.17.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 16.88%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is 41.10%.

Ford Motor Company Profile

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.