Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading 7.9% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) shares traded up 7.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $14.40 and last traded at $14.6440. 35,024,582 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 59,024,801 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.57.

Ford Motor News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ford’s recent rally was driven by enthusiasm over its positioning in the energy storage market, which some analysts view as a potentially high-growth opportunity and a reason the stock surged sharply earlier in the week.
• Positive Sentiment: The stock remains a trending name with heavy investor attention, which can help sustain trading momentum if sentiment around the company’s strategy stays positive. Ford Motor Company (F) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its sector perform rating and set a $13 price target, implying limited upside from current levels and reinforcing a more cautious stance. Ford Motor had its sector perform rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Ford as one of the top dividend alternatives to low-yielding bonds and cash-like investments may support the stock for income-focused investors, but it is not a direct catalyst. The S&P 500 Barely Yields 2%. These 3 Dividend Stocks Under $30 Are Doing Much Better Than That
• Negative Sentiment: Ford is giving back part of this week’s big gains, with traders likely taking profits after the stock’s rapid move higher.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns about the auto industry, including more than 20,000 U.S. salaried job cuts at Detroit automakers amid AI-related disruption, may add to investor caution around Ford. Detroit automakers have cut more than 20,000 U.S. salaried jobs as AI threat looms
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term trading commentary now frames Ford’s surge as potentially overextended, with some articles suggesting the rally may be running out of steam. Stock Of The Day: Where Will The Ford Rally End?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $13.50 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Ford Motor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Down 7.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $53.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $12.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.01.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 3.22%.The business had revenue of $43.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ford Motor Company will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -38.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. purchased 140,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,072,132. This represents a 3.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth approximately $674,437,000. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the third quarter worth approximately $299,000,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Ford Motor by 81.1% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 35,438,722 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $423,847,000 after buying an additional 15,866,285 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ford Motor by 610.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,177,304 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $146,646,000 after buying an additional 9,603,267 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Ford Motor by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,153,383 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $500,572,000 after buying an additional 8,086,564 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Company Profile

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.