Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 87,160,000 shares, a decrease of 15.8% from the August 15th total of 103,470,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 58,950,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of F. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ford Motor in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ford Motor by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Ford Motor by 1,997.9% during the first quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,035 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ford Motor in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.95.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Shares of Ford Motor stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.99. 54,959,472 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 54,007,887. Ford Motor has a fifty-two week low of $9.49 and a fifty-two week high of $14.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $11.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.62.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.47 earnings per share (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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 15.28%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 7th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.86%.

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.