Argyle Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Ford Motor (NYSE:F)

Argyle Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 29.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,067 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after selling 41,300 shares during the quarter. Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Ford Motor by 835.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 2,059 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839 shares during the period. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in Ford Motor in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 58.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “sell” rating and a $10.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.02.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Mark Kosman sold 26,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.53, for a total value of $337,031.94. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,988.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Ford Motor stock traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.79. The company had a trading volume of 57,257,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,407,576. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. Ford Motor has a 12-month low of $9.63 and a 12-month high of $15.42. The company’s fifty day moving average is $12.62 and its 200-day moving average is $11.78. The company has a market capitalization of $50.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.63.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 17.63% and a net margin of 2.21%. The firm had revenue of $42.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.86%.

Ford Motor Profile

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.