Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Sells 18,868 Shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 0.6% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,327,697 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after selling 18,868 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $41,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Newport Trust Company LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 155,177,214 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $1,891,610,000 after buying an additional 6,667,808 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Ford Motor by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 87,661,675 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,068,596,000 after purchasing an additional 269,887 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Ford Motor by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 59,152,154 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $721,065,000 after purchasing an additional 3,522,965 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ford Motor in the 4th quarter worth approximately $475,899,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 27,314,520 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $333,014,000 after purchasing an additional 528,823 shares in the last quarter. 58.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Ford Motor from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ford Motor from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ford Motor

In related news, Director Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. sold 81,234 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total value of $982,119.06. Following the sale, the director now owns 168,601 shares in the company, valued at $2,038,386.09. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of Ford Motor stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.13. The company had a trading volume of 10,581,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,022,730. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.33. The stock has a market cap of $40.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Ford Motor has a 12-month low of $9.49 and a 12-month high of $14.85.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.21). Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 15.28%. The company had revenue of $47.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.92%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.86%.

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.