Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 190,090,000 shares, a growth of 36.3% from the March 15th total of 139,450,000 shares. Approximately 4.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 111,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Ford Motor Stock Up 2.6 %

F traded up $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.90. The company had a trading volume of 120,769,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 72,229,979. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.12. The company has a market capitalization of $39.24 billion, a PE ratio of 6.78, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Ford Motor has a one year low of $8.44 and a one year high of $14.85.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor's payout ratio is 41.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

F has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. TD Cowen began coverage on Ford Motor in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $10.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $9.00 target price (down from $11.00) on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $9.77.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ford Motor

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ford Motor by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 402,083,883 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $3,980,630,000 after acquiring an additional 57,182,803 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 129,106,379 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,278,153,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,321 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 84,078,284 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $830,662,000 after buying an additional 2,089,127 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 46,508,882 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $460,444,000 after buying an additional 4,925,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth $387,282,000. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.