24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) stock retreated nearly 20% following its earnings report.
- High warranty expenses and losses on EVs troubled investors.
- Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) earnings upset Wall Street. The day after they were released, the stock was down 19% at one point, and it closed down just over 18%. It was an extraordinary crash for a public corporation whose earnings initially seemed reasonably good. The plunge was the worst since 2008.
What happened? Ford posted an earnings drop of 26% from the same quarter in 2023. Earnings for the recent quarter totaled $2.8 billion. Unfortunately, analysts expected the figure to be $3.7 billion.
Investors were troubled by high warranty expenses. Ford Blue, the division that makes gasoline-powered cars, had an operating income of $1.2 billion. Warranty expenses for the quarter were $2 billion, which was $800 million worse than the prior quarter. “Warranty has been a growing issue at Ford over the last five years and has escalated over the past year,” Freedom Capital Markets analyst Mike Ward wrote in a report on the numbers.
Another deeply troubling development was that Ford Model e, the electric vehicle (EV) part of the company’s operations, lost $1.1 billion. That shows how badly Ford’s investment in this sector has gone. EV rival Tesla had a weak second quarter but had a net income of $1.5 billion.
Why did Ford’s stock drop even though it had reasonable profits? Everything else about the company’s numbers was awful.
See the Top 10 EV Brands Right Now
The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)
Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.
A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.