Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Down 2.5% – Here’s Why

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) fell 2.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $9.07 and last traded at $9.16. 50,048,078 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 77,964,602 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.39.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

F has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $12.00 to $9.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays cut shares of Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ford Motor presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.89.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.26, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

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

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at about $19,215,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at about $104,000. Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth about $101,000. Finally, LifeWealth Investments LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth about $169,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by 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.