Howard Capital Management Inc. Grows Stake in Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 17.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,077 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 8,135 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in F. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Ford Motor in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $12.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.89.

Ford Motor Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:F opened at $9.36 on Tuesday. 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 52-week low of $9.10 and a 52-week high of $14.85. The stock has a market cap of $37.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.41, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $9.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.43.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.41%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is 41.10%.

About Ford Motor

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.