Ford Motor Co Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (F)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Ford Motor (NYSE:F) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of B- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its good cash flow from operations and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Net operating cash flow has slightly increased to $3,904.00 million or 4.69% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite an increase in cash flow of 4.69%, FORD MOTOR CO is still growing at a significantly lower rate than the industry average of 94.15%.
• The revenue fell significantly faster than the industry average of 54.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 6.5%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Automobiles industry and the overall market, FORD MOTOR CO's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• FORD MOTOR CO has exprienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. We feel it is likely to report a decline in earnings in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, FORD MOTOR CO increased its bottom line by earning $5.01 versus $1.59 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 74.5% in earnings ($1.28 versus $5.01).
• The share price of FORD MOTOR CO has not done very well: it is down 14.36% and has underperformed the S&P 500, in part reflecting the company's sharply declining earnings per share when compared to the year-earlier quarter. Looking ahead, although the push and pull of the overall market trend could certainly make a critical difference, we do not see any strong reason stemming from the company's fundamentals that would cause a continuation of last year's decline. In fact, the stock is now selling for less than others in its industry in relation to its current earnings.

Ford Motor Company engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and service of vehicles and related parts worldwide. The company operates through two sectors, Automotive and Financial Services. The automotive sector offers vehicles primarily under the Ford and Lincoln brand names. The company has a P/E ratio of 2.1, equal to the average automotive industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Ford has a market cap of $34.89 billion and is part of the consumer goods sector and automotive industry. Shares are down 13.4% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full Ford Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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