Has Ford Motor Company (F) Become the Perfect Stock?

Every investor would love to stumble upon the perfect stock. But will you ever really find a stock that provides everything you could possibly want?

One thing’s for sure: You’ll never discover truly great investments unless you actively look for them. Let’s discuss the ideal qualities of a perfect stock and then decide whether Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) fits the bill.

The quest for perfection
Stocks that look great based on one factor may prove horrible elsewhere, making due diligence a crucial part of your investing research. The best stocks excel in many different areas, including these important factors:

1). Growth. Expanding businesses show healthy revenue growth. While past growth is no guarantee that revenue will keep rising, it’s certainly a better sign than a stagnant top line.

2). Margins. Higher sales mean nothing if a company can’t produce profits from them. Strong margins ensure that company can turn revenue into profit.

3). Balance sheet. At debt-laden companies, banks and bondholders compete with shareholders for management’s attention. Companies with strong balance sheets don’t have to worry about the distraction of debt.

4). Moneymaking opportunities. Return on equity helps measure how well a company is finding opportunities to turn its resources into profitable business endeavors.

5). Valuation. You can’t afford to pay too much for even the best companies. By using normalized figures, you can see how a stock’s simple earnings multiple fits into a longer-term context.

6). Dividends. For tangible proof of profits, a check to shareholders every three months can’t be beat. Companies with solid dividends and strong commitments to increasing payouts treat shareholders well.

With those factors in mind, let’s take a closer look at Ford.

Factor	What We Want to See	Actual	Pass or Fail?
Growth	5-year annual revenue growth > 15%	(1.3%)	Fail
	1-year revenue growth > 12%	(4.7%)	Fail
Margins	Gross margin > 35%	14.1%	Fail
	Net margin > 15%	13.4%	Fail
Balance sheet	Debt to equity < 50%	525.7%	Fail
	Current ratio > 1.3	1.68	Pass
Opportunities	Return on equity > 15%	140.2%	Pass
Valuation	Normalized P/E < 20	10.56	Pass
Dividends	Current yield > 2%	3.1%	Pass
	5-year dividend growth > 10%	NM	NM
	Total score		4 out of 9

Source: S&P Capital IQ. NM = not meaningful; Ford restored its dividend in Jan. 2012. Total score = number of passes.

Since we looked at Ford last year, the company doubled its score, more than making back the single point it dropped from 2011 to 2012. A big boost in the dividend and an improving balance sheet helped boost the company’s score, but the stock has had to rally sharply in the past few months just to eke out a 5% gain over the past year.