Prudential PLC Buys 46,357 Shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 250,822 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,357 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $2,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Ford Motor by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,464,980 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $15,998,000 after acquiring an additional 336,720 shares in the last quarter. NCP Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ford Motor by 62.0% in the 4th quarter. NCP Inc. now owns 74,520 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 28,528 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ford Motor by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,394,681 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $46,408,000 after purchasing an additional 160,409 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 87.1% during the fourth quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 196,100 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,941,000 after purchasing an additional 91,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp bought a new position in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,853,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

F has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price target on Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lowered Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $10.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.37.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of F opened at $9.58 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $9.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.24. The stock has a market cap of $37.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.41. Ford Motor has a one year low of $9.06 and a one year high of $14.85.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 3.18%. As a group, research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.27%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.10%.

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.