Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Downgraded by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $12.00 price target on the auto manufacturer’s stock, down from their prior price target of $16.00.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Ford Motor from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a peer perform rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $12.64.

Ford Motor Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of F opened at $10.77 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.10, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.62. Ford Motor has a 52 week low of $9.49 and a 52 week high of $14.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $10.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last released 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 analysts’ expectations of $47.79 billion. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 15.28% and a net margin of 2.13%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.57%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is presently 61.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Ford Motor by 1.1% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,349,276 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $71,039,000 after purchasing an additional 59,082 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in Ford Motor by 33.1% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 17,124 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 4,255 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Ford Motor by 18.3% in the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 95,500 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $1,268,000 after acquiring an additional 14,750 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter valued at $2,812,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 155,951 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 13,597 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Company 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.