Ford Stock Value Falls During September 21 – September 25, 2020

The value of Ford stock decreased during the September 21^st, 2020 – September 25^th, 2020 timeframe. Shares closed the week at $6.51 per share, which represents a decrease of $0.72 per share, or nearly 10 percent, compared to the prior week’s closing value of $7.23.

Movement & Ranges

For the sake of comparison, shares of Ford’s cross-town rival – General Motors Company – fell $2.50 per share, or nearly 8 percent – during the September 21^st, 2020 – September 25^th, 2020 timeframe.

According to Bank of America, U.S. stocks had suffered their third-largest outflow of funds this past week as investors pulled $25.8 billion out of equities. Meanwhile, COVID-19 restrictions in many U.S. areas are being lifted despite a surge in multiple states, including Idaho and Utah.

Ford Stock Factors

This week’s $0.72 decrease in Ford share values marks the first decline after two consecutive weeks of growth for the Dearborn-based automaker.

Overall, Ford share values have experienced steady growth since the automaker released its second quarter 2020 earnings, where FoMoCo lost $1.9 billion in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results are much better than the $5 billion Ford initially expected to lose when going into the quarter.

Another noteworthy factor is the overwhelmingly positive reception of the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco and 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. In fact, Ford stock experienced four consecutive weeks of growth following the reveal. The limited-production First Edition model of the Bronco two-door and four-door sold out in just a few hours, causing Ford to double availability. The Bronco Sport First Edition sold out in less than two days. All three Bronco models have seen massive interest, causing significant traffic spikes on the automaker’s website as Bronco reservations exceeded 165,000 in the first three weeks of availability.

Besides the Bronco and Bronco Sport, Ford also recently unveiled the all-new 2021 F-150 – its most profitable and revenue-generating product. The all-new half-ton, full-size pickup features a significant amount of updates and new features, along with an all-new exterior and cabin. Production of the 2021 F-150 just started on September 17^th, 2020 at the Ford Dearborn Truck plant within the Ford Rouge Center complex. The truck will see a gradual rollout before hitting full stride in roughly two or three quarters following the start of production. Additionally, Ford just announced a new plant within the Rouge Center. Termed the Ford electric vehicle center, the new facility will build the upcoming electric F-150, which is slated for launch in 2022.

Prior to the reveals of the F-150 and Bronco family, Ford and Volkswagen agreed upon the finer details of a new partnership wherein both automakers will officially develop and produce several vehicles. Additionally, the tie-up will see VW invest several billion in Argo AI, an autonomous software firm backed by Ford.

Ford During COVID-19

Ford stock has seen historically-low values during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some being the lowest recorded in over a decade. This week’s $6.51 per share price places the value $2.91 below the $9.42 per share mark at which Ford stock opened the 2020 calendar year.

The Blue Oval has had to navigate unprecedented setbacks during COVID-19. For starters, the Coronavirus pandemic forced Ford to idle production across North America, South America, Europe and China, putting the firm in an unfortunate position. The scenario resulted in a steep decline in revenues and an accelerated cash burn, resulting in a loss-making scenario for Ford (or for any automaker, for that matter)

Ford production in China resumed in March, Ford Europe production started back up on May 4^th and most North American Ford production resumed on May 18^th. The restart in production hasn’t been a completely smooth endeavor, as various facilities were forced to pause production for up to 24 hours for cleaning and area disinfection after workers tested positive for COVID-19.

Ford has taken major steps to steer through the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker’s actions have primarily revolved around reducing and/or deferring expenses and shoring up cash. To that end, Ford suspended its dividend while borrowing $15.4 billion in March before borrowing another $8 billion in April.

While it was taking all of these actions during idled vehicle production, The Blue Oval has been producing shields, face masks, and respirators to help medical workers fight the virus on the front lines. Ford will continue making the PPE, at an accelerated pace in some instances, now that vehicle production has restarted.

Ford also helped suppliers get through the trough created by the pandemic by paying its bills ahead of schedule.

In May, then-Ford COO Jim Farley, who has since been appointed CEO, bought $1 million in Ford stock, making it the largest open-market share purchase by a Ford executive in a decade. Then, in early August, Ford CEO, Jim Hackett, announced an early retirement. He will be succeeded by Farley.

Ford Stock Before COVID-19

Ford Motor Company’s business health had several business-related issues well before the global COVID-19 outbreak, including lack of profitability in several key vehicle lines and in international regions, along with quality issues in critical product launches. To that end, then-Ford CEO Jim Hackett replaced Joe Hinrichs with Jim Farley as COO, allegedly due to major issues associated with the rollout of the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator – two key models that come at a critical time, given the popularity of crossovers and SUVs.

Ford announced even more changes to its executive ranks in late April. The changes, made by Farley after a 10 week-long deep dive, were presented as a way to “better serve customers, streamline decision-making and increase accountability.”

Coronavirus-related items aside, we remain interested in seeing how Ford stock will perform throughout the rest of 2020, especially in light of various actions taken by the Dearborn-based automaker throughout 2019 and into 2020 to improve the fitness of its business. These actions include discontinuing all sedans to focus on more profitable crossovers, SUVs, and pickups in North America, while at the same time investing in resource-intensive autonomous vehicle technologies like its Argo AI autonomous service as well as electric vehicles. Both initiatives have yet to result in a positive ROI for any automaker.

It’s worth noting that The Blue Oval started both efforts much later than its direct rivals. For instance, FCA was the first to discontinue most of its sedan portfolio and General Motors started to invest heavily into EVs and autonomous vehicles much earlier than The Blue Oval.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

In late 2020, the very first units of the all-new Ford Mustang Mach-E will begin arriving at dealers. The Mach-E is an electric, four-door crossover inspired by the legendary Mustang pony car. The Mustang Mach-E demonstrates that Ford isn’t afraid to redefine legendary nameplates, and recreate them in new body styles and as new vehicle types. The automaker sold out the introductory Mustang Mach-E First Edition variant – a promising development that should serve as an indicator of future Ford share values. However, First Editions of the vehicle recently became available once again as a result of higher production. Additionally, Ford Authority was recently first to report official pricing for the 2021 Mach-E, which will start at $43,895.

We’ll be here to report more as we have it, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford stock news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.