Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) saw a surge in institutional interest during the fourth quarter, with Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquiring a new stake of 694,180 shares valued at approximately $6.87 million, according to a recent SEC filing. The auto manufacturer now represents 7.0% of Mountain Hill’s portfolio, making it the firm’s second-largest holding.
🚗 Institutional Buying Gains Momentum
Several other hedge funds also expanded their positions in Ford Motor:
- Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake by 16.6%, purchasing an additional 57.18 million shares, bringing its total ownership to 402.08 million shares worth nearly $3.98 billion.
- Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holding by 177.4%, acquiring 22,582 additional shares for a total of 35,313 shares, valued at $350,000.
- KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position worth approximately $12.95 million.
As of now, 58.74% of Ford’s shares are owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, highlighting growing interest in the stock.
💡 Analyst Ratings: Mixed Sentiment
Wall Street analysts remain divided on Ford Motor, with recent rating changes reflecting a cautious outlook:
- BNP Paribas upgraded the stock to “Hold”.
- Wells Fargo lowered its price target from $9.00 to $8.00, maintaining an “Underweight” rating.
- Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Ford from “Hold” to “Underperform” and cut its price target from $12.00 to $9.00.
- TD Cowen initiated coverage with a “Hold” rating and a $10.00 price target.
Currently, three analysts have a “Sell” rating, eleven recommend “Hold”, and four have a “Buy” rating, with a consensus target price of $11.50, according to MarketBeat.
📊 Stock Performance and Financials
Ford Motor’s stock opened at $10.05 on Monday, slightly above its 50-day moving average of $9.73 but below its 200-day average of $10.29.
- Market cap: $39.81 billion
- P/E ratio: 6.88
- PEG ratio: 0.61
- Beta: 1.59
The company recently reported Q4 earnings of $0.39 per share, beating consensus estimates of $0.35. Ford’s return on equity reached 16.88%, with a net margin of 3.18%. Analysts project EPS of $1.47 for the current fiscal year.
💰 Dividend Appeal
Ford continues to reward shareholders with a strong dividend yield.
- Quarterly dividend: $0.15 per share
- Annualized yield: 5.97%
- Dividend payout ratio: 41.10%
The latest dividend was paid on March 3rd, with an ex-dividend date of February 18th.
✅ Key Takeaway
Ford Motor is attracting significant institutional interest, as demonstrated by Mountain Hill Investment Partners’ large stake. Despite mixed analyst ratings, the stock offers a solid dividend yield and continues to see strong hedge fund support, suggesting potential for long-term value investors.
