Ford Motor Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:F)

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 116,649 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 31% compared to the typical volume of 89,143 call options.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Ford Motor stock opened at $12.57 on Wednesday. Ford Motor has a 52 week low of $8.44 and a 52 week high of $12.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $11.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a market cap of $50.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.53.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.37 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is 76.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on F. Dbs Bank downgraded Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. UBS Group raised their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Barclays raised their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.11.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 457,660,361 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,590,333,000 after acquiring an additional 55,576,478 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 6,915.1% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 49,078,048 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $492,253,000 after acquiring an additional 48,378,444 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ford Motor during the 2nd quarter valued at $405,328,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 712.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 19,572,437 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $212,361,000 after acquiring an additional 17,164,234 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,784,031 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,122,434,000 after acquiring an additional 15,748,694 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

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.