Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Shares Purchased by Essex Financial Services Inc.

Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 30.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,465 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,679 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $450,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,246 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at about $994,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Ford Motor by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,641 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 4,880 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,462 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares during the period. 58.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ford Motor Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of F opened at $9.24 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.72 billion, a PE ratio of 6.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.00 and its 200-day moving average is $10.50. Ford Motor has a 12 month low of $9.10 and a 12 month high of $14.85.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Ford Motor will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.49%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on F shares. 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.89.

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.