Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 352,812 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 166% compared to the typical daily volume of 132,582 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% in the first quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,727 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 806 shares during the period. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor during the first quarter worth about $157,000. Summitry LLC lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 84.1% during the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 25,977 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 11,867 shares during the period. WNY Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Ford Motor during the first quarter worth about $417,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 78.4% during the first quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 3,648 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ford Motor Trading Up 2.6%

F stock traded up $0.39 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.32. 89,977,531 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 61,889,293. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $12.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.04. Ford Motor has a 52-week low of $9.88 and a 52-week high of $15.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.05 billion, a PE ratio of -9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.65.

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

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is -38.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

F has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ford Motor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Ford Motor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.56.

About Ford Motor

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.