Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Bank of America

Research analysts at Bank of America started coverage on shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price target on the auto manufacturer’s stock. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 30.77% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on F. Zacks Research raised Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Ford Motor from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.29.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Shares of F traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $13.00. The stock had a trading volume of 23,633,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 69,840,641. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.73 and a 200 day moving average of $12.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $51.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.31, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.65. Ford Motor has a 12 month low of $8.44 and a 12 month high of $14.80.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $45.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.78 billion. Ford Motor had a negative net margin of 4.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.16%. The company’s revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ford Motor

In other news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. bought 140,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 3,912,600 shares in the company, valued at $54,072,132. The trade was a 3.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of F. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at $674,437,000. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Ford Motor during the third quarter worth approximately $299,000,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Ford Motor by 712.7% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 19,572,437 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $212,361,000 after buying an additional 17,164,234 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 17.9% in 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 buying an additional 15,748,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 610.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,177,304 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $146,646,000 after acquiring an additional 9,603,267 shares during the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.