Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Reduces Position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,824 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after selling 2,461 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 606,159 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $6,257,000 after buying an additional 117,982 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ford Motor by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 296,413 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after buying an additional 11,358 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ford Motor by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,115 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 2,396 shares in the last quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Ford Motor in the fourth quarter worth about $115,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Ford Motor stock opened at $9.54 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $9.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.80 billion, a PE ratio of 6.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.59. Ford Motor has a one year low of $9.06 and a one year high of $14.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 16.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.29%. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is 41.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on F shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Ford Motor in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $10.00 price target for the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on Ford Motor from $19.00 to $15.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.77.

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.