Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Short Interest Up 37.1% in February

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 161,210,000 shares, an increase of 37.1% from the January 31st total of 117,580,000 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 67,550,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

NYSE F traded up $0.53 on Wednesday, reaching $9.65. The stock had a trading volume of 157,445,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 83,017,023. Ford Motor has a 1-year low of $9.06 and a 1-year high of $14.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $9.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.40.

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

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on F shares. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Ford Motor from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.89.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ford Motor by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 92,950 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 969 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ford Motor by 6.6% in the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 16,096 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 38.5% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 3,600 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,693 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 80,728 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares in 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.