Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $14.94 and last traded at $14.4620, with a volume of 186695550 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.57.

Key Stories Impacting Ford Motor

Here are the key news stories impacting Ford Motor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford’s energy storage push is drawing strong investor enthusiasm, with Morgan Stanley’s bullish research helping spark a major rally in the shares. Reuters: Ford stock surges 13% on investor optimism for new energy storage business
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting Ford’s energy storage strategy as a potential long-term profit driver, helping the stock extend its rally and outperform other automakers. CNBC: Ford surges 20% in two days. It might be an AI ‘meme’ stock after energy pivot
• Positive Sentiment: The stock’s rapid move higher has made Ford one of the market’s top performers, with traders betting the company’s new business mix could unlock more upside. Invezz: Why Ford Motor stock is one of the market’s top performers today
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $14 price target, which is close to the recent trading range and may temper some of the rally’s upside. Benzinga rating update

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on F shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $13.50 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Ford Motor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.56.

Ford Motor Stock Up 6.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.14 and a 200-day moving average of $13.01.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.48. Ford Motor had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 3.22%.The firm had revenue of $43.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ford Motor Company will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is presently -38.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider William Clay Ford, Jr. acquired 140,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.82 per share, with a total value of $1,934,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 3,912,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,072,132. This trade represents a 3.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $674,437,000. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Ford Motor during the third quarter valued at approximately $299,000,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Ford Motor by 81.1% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 35,438,722 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $423,847,000 after purchasing an additional 15,866,285 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ford Motor by 610.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,177,304 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $146,646,000 after purchasing an additional 9,603,267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Ford Motor by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,153,383 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $500,572,000 after purchasing an additional 8,086,564 shares in the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ford Motor

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the company became an early pioneer of mass-production techniques with the Model T and the adoption of the moving assembly line. Today, Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of vehicles and mobility solutions under the Ford and Lincoln brands, spanning passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vehicles.

Ford’s business activities extend beyond vehicle production to include parts and aftermarket services, fleet and commercial sales, and automotive financing through Ford Motor Credit Company.