The automaker said it hopes to resume production on some of its higher profiting vehicles by early next month
While many companies are shutting their doors in response to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) said it plans on restarting production on some of its more profitable vehicles, such as its F-150 full-sized pickup, as early as April 6. The automaker also said its top executives would take pay cuts to conserve cash for the company, with Chief Executive Jim Hackett telling employees in an email that he hopes the measures "will be enough to give Ford the financial flexibility to ride out the economic and business effects of the coronavirus." At last check, F is up 2.4% at $5.50.
Last week, the auto stock bottomed out at an 11-year low just under the $4 region, and while its made an effort to rebound off this bottom, the equity is still suffering a 45.5% deficit for the year. Today, Ford is once again going head to head with its 20-day moving average -- a trendline that's served as a ceiling for the security since early January.
Analysts are approaching Ford with caution, with 10 of the 12 in coverage calling Ford a "hold" or worse. Meanwhile, the consensus 12-month price target of $7.09 is a 30.2% premium to current levels.
At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Ford sports a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.36. This ratio ranks in the 97th percentile of its annual range. This means long puts have been outpacing long calls at a much quicker clip than usual.