The vehicle giant was upgraded to "outperform" by Wolfe Research
The shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) are up 1.4% to trade at $11.90 at last check, after the vehicle name received an upgrade to "outperform" at Wolfe Research, as well as a price-target hike to $15 from $13. The brokerage firm added it sees strong prospects for the company, with several catalysts that could drive its valuation higher. Similarly, Credit Suisse raised its price objective to $12 from $11, noting a strong demand environment ahead of Ford's quarterly report, due after the close on Wednesday, April 28.
On the charts, the security has been cooling down from a March 15, five-year high of $13.62. The supportive 80-day moving average contained the equity's latest pullback to the $11 level, however. Longer term, Ford Motor stock sports a 150.2% year-over-year lead.
Analysts were already optimistic towards the equity coming into today, with seven of the 11 in question sporting a "strong buy" rating, while four called F a "hold" or worse. Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $12.95 is an 8.5% premium to the stock's current perch.
The options pits echo that optimism, with an appetite for calls. This is per Ford Motor stock's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 4.41 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands in the 72nd percentile of the past 12 months.
What's more, F options can be purchased at a relative discount right now. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 42% sits in the 13th percentile of its annual range. In other words, Ford motor stock sports affordably priced premiums at this current time.