Prudential PLC Increases Stock Position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Prudential PLC raised its position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 250,822 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 46,357 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $2,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ford Motor by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 402,083,883 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,980,630,000 after buying an additional 57,182,803 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ford Motor by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 129,106,379 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,278,153,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,321 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 84,078,284 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $830,662,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089,127 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the fourth quarter worth about $387,282,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ford Motor by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 8,799,541 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $87,115,000 after purchasing an additional 113,363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on F. Barclays cut Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $13.00 to $11.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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. TD Cowen started coverage on Ford Motor in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.37.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

NYSE:F opened at $9.58 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $9.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.24. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $37.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.56, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.27%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

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.