Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Short Interest Up 8.9% in September

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 94,960,000 shares, an increase of 8.9% from the August 31st total of 87,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 59,030,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Ford Motor Stock Up 1.8 %

Ford Motor stock traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $10.76. The company had a trading volume of 63,874,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,050,430. The company has a market capitalization of $42.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Ford Motor has a 12 month low of $9.49 and a 12 month high of $14.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $10.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.96.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $47.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $47.79 billion. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 15.28% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 7th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

F has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $12.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $16.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.72.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Coatue Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the 4th quarter worth about $149,152,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Ford Motor by 27.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 36,190,972 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $453,732,000 after acquiring an additional 7,793,944 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Ford Motor by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 59,150,709 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $721,047,000 after buying an additional 3,521,520 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Ford Motor by 456.9% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 4,000,000 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $50,160,000 after purchasing an additional 3,281,800 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 103.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,908,726 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $60,844,000 after buying an additional 2,497,695 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

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.