Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC Buys 18,405 Shares of Ford Motor (F)

Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC raised its stake in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 371,559 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,405 shares during the period. Ford Motor accounts for 3.0% of Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC’s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $4,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 13.2% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 262,412,220 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $2,907,527,000 after buying an additional 30,645,741 shares in the last quarter. Newport Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 0.6% in the first quarter. Newport Trust Co now owns 188,248,101 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $2,085,789,000 after buying an additional 1,173,078 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 2.5% in the first quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,992,097 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $576,073,000 after buying an additional 1,246,237 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 73.3% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 44,818,988 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $496,594,000 after buying an additional 18,962,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,141,934 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $537,773,000 after buying an additional 4,529,998 shares in the last quarter. 55.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Shares of F opened at $11.51 on Monday. Ford Motor has a 1-year low of $10.14 and a 1-year high of $13.48. The stock has a market cap of $45.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.02. Ford Motor had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business had revenue of $41.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.21%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 19th. Ford Motor’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

F has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $16.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Vetr downgraded shares of Ford Motor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 29th. ValuEngine raised shares of Ford Motor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna Bancshares set a $12.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $11.00 price target on shares of Ford Motor in a research note on Tuesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.78.

In other Ford Motor news, insider Ashwani Kumar Galhotra sold 31,415 shares of Ford Motor stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.34, for a total transaction of $324,831.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. sold 454,260 shares of Ford Motor stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total transaction of $4,687,963.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ford Motor Profile

Ford Motor Company designs, manufactures, markets, and services a range of Ford cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles, and electrified vehicles; and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. Its Automotive segment sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to fleet customers, including commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.

Norsk Hydro (NHYDY) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Norsk Hydro (OTCMKTS:NHYDY) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NHYDY shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Norsk Hydro from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $7.75 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 8th. ValuEngine lowered Norsk Hydro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank raised Norsk Hydro from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 18th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group lowered Norsk Hydro from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, May 7th.

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Norsk Hydro traded down $0.05, hitting $6.18, on Monday, according to MarketBeat Ratings. 9,150 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,434. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Norsk Hydro has a 52 week low of $5.11 and a 52 week high of $7.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.95.

Norsk Hydro (OTCMKTS:NHYDY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.13. Norsk Hydro had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 7.10%. The firm had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter. sell-side analysts expect that Norsk Hydro will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Norsk Hydro Company Profile

Norsk Hydro ASA operates as an integrated aluminum company worldwide. It operates in six segments: Bauxite & Alumina, Primary Metal, Metal Markets, Rolled Products, Extruded Solutions, and Energy. The Bauxite & Alumina segment engages in bauxite mining activities, production of alumina, and related commercial activities, as well as the sale of alumina.

Target's shift to digital is painful

Good news for Target: Online sales are booming. Bad news for Target: It's spending so much to play catch up to Amazon that it's hurting its profits.

Target's (TGT) online sales surged 28% from a year ago. But subpar earnings sent the stock down 5% in early trading Wednesday.

Target, like many other traditional retailers, is investing heavily in their digital operations. Amazon (AMZN) is the clear e-commerce leader. But Target, Walmart (WMT), Macy's (M) and other big chains are posting solid online sales growth too.

The problem for Target is that it costs money to generate those digital sales.

Target said that its gross margins, a key measure of profitability, were down slightly from a year ago. And that was due partly to increased digital fulfillments costs, the expenses tied to getting a product from a warehouse delivered to customers.

It's essentially a classic case of short-term pain with the hopes of a longer-term gain. Target CEO Brian Cornell admitted as much in the company's earnings release, saying that Target "made significant progress in support of our long-term strategic initiatives."

The problem is that Wall Street often has a "what have you done for me lately?" sort of mentality. So the fact that Target's sales missed analysts' estimates is an issue.

Another concern: Target is going to have to keep spending in order to become a true online retailing powerhouse. Despite all its big investments, Target said that digital sales accounted for just a little more than 5% of overall revenue.

Erdogan Imperils Turkey's Rating With Bonds Sinking Below Senegal's

Turkey is paying more than Senegal on its debt, even though it has a higher credit rating and its economy is 60 times bigger. Why? Analysts say it’s Erdoganomics.

A selloff in Turkish bonds accelerated after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faulted high interest rates for stubborn inflation in an interview with Bloomberg last week. He also said he would seek a bigger say in monetary-policy decisions after a June 24 election.

Read More: Erdogan Intends to Tighten Grip on Turkish Economy, Rate Policy

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“The president’s remarks on the central bank were the final nail in the coffin” said Okan Akin, a credit analyst at AllianceBernstein in London. “The market is pricing Turkey as a single-B credit. Turkish bonds have been trading two notches below the country’s rating for some time anyway, but the country’s assets have negatively decoupled from other emerging markets in the last couple of weeks.”

The yield on Turkey’s February 2034 bonds rose on Monday to 52 basis points above Senegal’s dollar bonds with similar maturity. Turkey is rated BB+, the highest non-investment ranking at Fitch. S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service grade the country one level above Senegal.

Local-currency bonds show a similar picture as the central bank struggles to contain a double-digit inflation rate. Ten-year lira bonds offer higher yields than the bonds of Nigeria, Pakistan and Lebanon after sliding the most this year among 27 developing nations tracked by Bloomberg.

“Turkey has become the center of a storm right now,” said Tatha Ghose, an economist at Commerzbank AG in London. “It is all about central-bank independence and what Erdogan said in London. At this time, Turkish assets are not valued on fundamentals really.”

Nothing New

While Erdogan’s unorthodox views on monetary policy have been known for some time, his interview with Bloomberg was still a jolt.

“In the past, Erdogan’s remarks were viewed as public lobbying and the decision on interest rates is ultimately up to the central bank,” said Richard Segal, a senior analyst at Manulife Asset Management Ltd. in London. “But now if he does not like the level of interest rates, he might tell them what to do and it might encourage the central-bank governor or the monetary policy committee to resign.”

By sending the bonds lower than those of Senegal, investors are signaling they see a downgrade in the cards.

“The policy framework and the economic priorities post elections will be an important input to future decisions regarding the direction of Turkey’s rating,” Yves Lemay, managing director for sovereign risk at Moody’s, said in an interview in London. Moody’s rates Turkey two levels below investment ranking.

The cost of insuring Turkey’s sovereign debt against default rose to the highest since January 2017.

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American Assets Trust (AAT) Position Lifted by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT) by 10.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 3,890 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of American Assets Trust worth $1,377,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB acquired a new position in American Assets Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $272,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in American Assets Trust by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 643,088 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,592,000 after purchasing an additional 131,940 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Assets Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $734,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in American Assets Trust by 147.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 381,837 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $14,601,000 after purchasing an additional 227,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Investment Management LLC increased its position in American Assets Trust by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Meadow Creek Investment Management LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. 95.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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AAT has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised American Assets Trust from an “equal” rating to a “weight” rating and set a $37.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 27th. Zacks Investment Research lowered American Assets Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $44.00 target price on American Assets Trust and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 17th. ValuEngine lowered American Assets Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho raised American Assets Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.00.

In related news, CEO Ernest S. Rady purchased 105,101 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.65 per share, for a total transaction of $3,431,547.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Ernest S. Rady purchased 64,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $32.56 per share, with a total value of $2,109,074.00. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 1,028,993 shares of company stock valued at $33,775,312. 34.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of American Assets Trust opened at $34.08 on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. American Assets Trust has a fifty-two week low of $30.62 and a fifty-two week high of $41.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.40.

American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $80.73 million during the quarter. American Assets Trust had a return on equity of 2.52% and a net margin of 6.60%. equities research analysts expect that American Assets Trust will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 13th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. American Assets Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.25%.

American Assets Trust Profile

American Assets Trust, Inc (the ?company?) is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust, or REIT, headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 50 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier retail, office and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Hawaii.

Buy Firstsource Solutions; target of Rs 87: ICICI Direct

ICICI Direct's research report on Firstsource Solutions

Revenues from operations grew 1.1% QoQ to | 897.3 crore and were below our 4.9% growth and | 930.4 crore estimate At 14.8%, EBITDA margins expanded 170 bps QoQ and were way above our 13.5% and 40 bps expansion estimate. Healthy margin expansion took place on account of lower-than-expected employee expenses (67.2% as a percentage of revenue vs. 68% expectation) and lower other expenses (down 2.7% QoQ)

Outlook

This, accompanied by an improved margin trajectory for FY19E, could lead to earnings growth of ~14% CAGR in FY18-20E. With a healthy dividend payout and becoming net long term debt free by October, 2018, we believe FSL could witness a re-rating, going ahead. Hence, we maintain our BUY recommendation on the stock with a revised target price of | 87 per share (14x FY20E EPS).

For all recommendations report,�click here

Disclaimer:�The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

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