Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Short Interest Up 7.3% in October

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 99,650,000 shares, a growth of 7.3% from the September 30th total of 92,910,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 56,380,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Ford Motor Price Performance

Shares of F opened at $10.36 on Friday. Ford Motor has a 1-year low of $9.49 and a 1-year high of $14.85. The stock has a market cap of $41.18 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.63.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.02. Ford Motor had a net margin of 1.93% and a return on equity of 16.16%. The firm had revenue of $46.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. Ford Motor’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.79%. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.41.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the second quarter worth about $30,000. 58.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.