Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Acquired by Lafayette Investments Inc.

Lafayette Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,950 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in Ford Motor by 835.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 2,059 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Ford Motor in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Ford Motor stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.12. The company had a trading volume of 10,521,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,667,371. Ford Motor has a 52 week low of $9.63 and a 52 week high of $15.42. The firm has a market cap of $48.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.23, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.60 and a 200-day moving average of $11.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.17. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The firm had revenue of $43.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a Variable dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 16th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.7%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is currently 55.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Mark Kosman sold 26,898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.53, for a total value of $337,031.94. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,988.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on F shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “sell” rating and a $10.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Ford Motor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.82.

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.