Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) witnessed a significant increase in investors’ capital during the last three months of 2014 as 45 funds reported holding $1.03 billion worth of the company’s stock, versus 47 funds with $766.41 million worth of stock in the previous quarter. Opposite to GM, Ford witnessed a decline in sales and its revenue slipped to $144.08 billion in 2014, from $146.92 billion in the previous quarter and EPS fell to $0.81 from $1.82. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), however, had warned investors that 2014 would be a sort of “transitional” year.
The company, however, is hoping that its F-150 truck sales will have a significant improvement in the current year’s financial figures. Ford announced a new truck with a new design and full-aluminum body in 2014 and it had to shut down its plant for some time in order to adjust for the production of the new model. Nevertheless, taking into account that the F-150 has been the most popular vehicle in the US for years, the changes will be worth it and will most likely beneficially reflect in Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s financial results. Richard S. Pzena of Pzena Investment Management seems to think the same thing, as he initiated a stake containing 15.05 million shares during the fourth quarter of 2014.
Even though its production numbers don’t stay even close to Ford’s and GM’s, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has also been a popular stock among funds that we track. The $25 billion market cap company was included in the equity portfolios of 25 funds at the end of 2014, down from 31 funds in the previous quarter. In addition, the company saw a withdrawal of these investors’ capital, which fell to $1.38 billion, from $1.73 billion in the previous quarter. Investors also seem to be more interested in holding debt of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), rather than stock, as the shareholder with the largest long position among funds that we track is Daniel Benton‘s Andor Capital Management, which owned 1.25 million shares as of the end of 2014.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s stock gained 40% during 2014 as the company strengthened its position in major markets outside the US, such as China and the UK. Tesla gained popularity as one of the most innovative companies in the automotive space taking electric vehicles to a new level with its luxurious Model S sedan. The company is also expected to start deliveries of its Model X SUV any time now, but what everyone is really looking forward to is its Model 3 car scheduled to be released within the next couple of years. Model 3 is expected to be a fully-electric, low-priced and mass-produced vehicle for which Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is currently building its Gigafactory in Nevada.
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