Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Up 2.4% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) shot up 2.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $9.69 and last traded at $9.63. 129,148,157 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 81% from the average session volume of 71,527,131 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

F has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price objective on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Ford Motor from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $9.40 to $7.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.30.

Ford Motor Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $9.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.13. The company has a market cap of $38.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.59, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.41.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 3.18%. Equities research analysts forecast that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.23%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 289.1% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,533 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,882 shares in the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.