Potentia Wealth recently disclosed a new position in Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) during the fourth quarter, as per its latest 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 34,813 shares of the iconic automaker, valued at approximately $345,000.
Institutional Interest on the Rise
Potentia Wealth isn’t alone in its bullish stance on Ford. Several other institutional investors also acquired or increased their positions in the company. Among the notable movements:
- Quest Partners LLC initiated a new position in Q3 worth $96,000.
- Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. added a stake valued at $186,000.
- Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired shares worth $423,000.
- Nwam LLC purchased shares valued at $383,000.
- Nicolet Advisory Services LLC significantly boosted its holdings by 78.4%, adding 12,409 shares to its previous position, now totaling 28,246 shares valued at $295,000.
Overall, 58.74% of Ford’s stock is now held by institutional investors and hedge funds, reflecting broad market confidence in the company’s future.
Stock Performance and Valuation
On Tuesday, Ford Motor’s stock traded slightly higher, gaining $0.03 to reach $10.28 per share. The trading volume hit 83.6 million shares, notably higher than its average volume of 62.3 million shares.
Ford’s 50-day moving average stands at $9.76, while its 200-day moving average is $10.29. The stock has traded between a 52-week low of $9.06 and a high of $14.85.
The company’s current market capitalization is $40.74 billion, with a P/E ratio of 7.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61, and a beta of 1.59, indicating moderate volatility.
Earnings and Dividend Growth
In its latest earnings report on February 5th, Ford exceeded analyst expectations, reporting $0.39 EPS, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. The company achieved a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 16.88%.
Looking ahead, analysts project Ford Motor to post $1.47 EPS for the current year.
Ford also recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share on March 3rd to shareholders of record as of February 18th. This translates to an annual dividend of $0.60 per share, yielding a healthy 5.84%, with a dividend payout ratio (DPR) of 41.10%.
Analyst Sentiment and Price Targets
Analyst opinions on Ford Motor remain mixed.
- Barclays downgraded the stock from “Overweight” to “Equal Weight”, lowering its price target from $13.00 to $11.00.
- Bank of America maintained a “Buy” rating but cut its price objective from $19.00 to $15.50.
- Royal Bank of Canada set a “Sector Perform” rating, reducing its target from $10.00 to $9.00.
- TD Cowen initiated coverage with a “Hold” rating and a $10.00 price target.
- BNP Paribas recently upgraded Ford to a “Hold” rating.
According to MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor holds an average rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $11.50, suggesting modest upside potential from current levels.
