Wright Investors Service Inc. Grows Position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Wright Investors Service Inc. boosted its holdings in Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 67.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,456 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,699 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $383,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 835.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 2,059 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ford Motor

In related news, CAO Mark Kosman sold 26,898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.53, for a total transaction of $337,031.94. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,988.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Ford Motor stock opened at $12.07 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $12.60 and its 200-day moving average is $11.76. The company has a market cap of $47.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ford Motor has a 12 month low of $9.63 and a 12 month high of $15.42.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $43.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.06 billion. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 18.95% and a net margin of 2.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.7%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 55.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on F shares. UBS Group lowered Ford Motor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $12.00 price objective on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “sell” rating and a $10.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.82.

Ford Motor Profile

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.