NEW YORK — As of 4:36 a.m. ET on Saturday, December 27, 2025, U.S. stock markets are closed for the weekend, leaving Ford Motor Company investors with a familiar year-end task: separate the headlines that change the business from the headlines that merely change the mood.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) last traded around $13.31, down about 0.4% from the prior close. With the New York Stock Exchange shuttered until Monday, the next real price discovery won’t happen until the opening auction.
The market backdrop: a thin, year-end tape near record highs
Ford isn’t trading in a vacuum. On Friday, December 26, Wall Street saw light post-holiday volume and modest index moves, with investors watching the “Santa Claus rally” window and positioning into the last sessions of the year. Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, described the market as “catching our breath” after a strong run. [1]
Zooming out, Reuters’ week-ahead coverage framed the broader setup like this: major U.S. indexes are near record levels, the S&P 500 is within about 1% of 7,000, and investors remain focused on the Federal Reserve’s next signals after recent rate cuts—classic ingredients for rotation and volatility when liquidity is thin. [2]
That matters for Ford because cyclicals—autos included—can get yanked around by macro narrative shifts (rates, growth expectations, and consumer demand) even when company-specific news is quiet.
Why Ford stock is in focus: the EV reset and a $19.5B charge
The biggest fundamental story shaping near-term sentiment in Ford stock is the company’s high-profile pivot away from some large battery-EV programs.
Reuters reported that Ford said it would take a $19.5 billion writedown tied to EV-related strategy changes and costs, while scrapping multiple EV plans—including a next-generation electric truck project (codenamed T3) and planned electric commercial vans. Ford also said it plans to replace the fully electric F-150 Lightning with an extended-range electric model that uses a gas engine to recharge the battery. [3]
Ford CEO Jim Farley told Reuters: “When the market really changed over the last couple of months, that was really the impetus for us to make the call.” [4]
Ford’s own corporate update positioned the shift as a capital reallocation toward trucks, hybrids, affordable EVs, and battery storage, and it said the company raised 2025 adjusted EBIT guidance to about $7 billion, while reaffirming free cash flow guidance. [5]
Translation (in plain English): Ford is trying to stop “buying” EV volume at lousy margins, lean harder into what pays (trucks, commercial, hybrids), and re-aim its EV roadmap toward cheaper platforms and clearer profitability timelines.
The “hidden” Ford story: commercial strength vs. EV losses
If you want the internal scoreboard, Ford’s Q3 results (the latest full quarterly financial detail available from the company) show a business with multiple engines firing at different efficiency levels.
In its Q3 2025 earnings release, Ford reported:
- Record revenue of $50.5 billion
- Net income of $2.4 billion
- Adjusted EBIT of $2.6 billion
- Adjusted free cash flow of $4.3 billion [6]
The segment split is where investors tend to linger:
- Ford Pro (commercial) generated roughly $2.0B EBIT on $17.4B revenue, and paid software subscriptions grew to 818,000. [7]
- Ford Model e (EVs/software) posted an EBIT loss of about $1.4B for the quarter. [8]
And Reuters added a stark annual frame: Ford previously said it expected to lose roughly $5 billion on its EV business in 2025, about in line with the prior year. [9]
This push-pull—commercial profits and cash generation offset by EV investment drag—is a big reason Ford often trades like a debate, not a consensus.
Batteries, but not just for cars: Ford’s storage business and supply-chain reshuffling
One of the more interesting “wait, what?” developments is Ford’s move into battery energy storage systems—not for vehicles, but for the grid and data centers.
TechCrunch reported that Ford is starting a battery storage business, aiming to ship systems in 2027, build 20 GWh of annual capacity, and invest about $2 billion over the next two years—repurposing Kentucky manufacturing capacity and using LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry via technology licensed from CATL. [10]
Ford executive Lisa Drake told reporters the “predominant” opportunity is commercial grid customers, with data centers secondary. [11]
Meanwhile, Ford’s EV supply chain has been making headlines for a different reason: contracts and partnerships getting rewired.
- Reuters reported LG Energy Solution said Ford terminated an EV battery supply deal worth about 9.6 trillion won (about $6.5 billion) after Ford decided to halt production of some EV models amid policy changes and shifting demand expectations. [12]
- Reuters also noted Ford’s earlier disclosure that part of its writedown involved the dissolution of a battery joint venture with SK On. [13]
Investors watching Ford stock into 2026 will likely treat “battery strategy” as two overlapping questions:
- Can Ford make EVs profitably—at all—without endless subsidy tailwinds?
- Can Ford monetize battery capacity elsewhere (storage) if EV mix evolves more slowly?
Demand signals: EV slump, hybrid reality
Recent U.S. sales data underscores why Ford is leaning into hybrids and extended-range designs.
Reuters reported Ford’s November U.S. sales slipped nearly 1% year over year, while Ford EV sales fell about 61% to 4,247 vehicles. The report also tied weakening EV demand to the expiration of a long-running $7,500 consumer tax credit (late September timing cited in Reuters coverage) and broader policy changes. [14]
This doesn’t mean EVs are “over.” It means the market is acting like EV adoption is more price-sensitive and more policy-sensitive than many automakers modeled in the early-2020s euphoria era.
The recurring headline risk: recalls
Ford has also faced a string of recall-related headlines in December—news that can create short-term pressure via reputation and cost concerns even when fixes are straightforward.
Recent Reuters reports include:
- A recall of 272,645 vehicles (including certain F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach‑E, and Maverick vehicles) tied to a potential loss of park function, with a software update planned (including over-the-air updates). [15]
- A recall of 32,160 vehicles tied to potential loss of drive power / half shaft engagement risk. [16]
- A recall of 108,762 vehicles involving Escape liftgate hinge cover issues, plus a separate recall affecting nearly 12,000 Lincoln vehicles for trim that could detach. [17]
Recalls aren’t unique to Ford—but frequency and visibility can influence how generously the market assigns valuation during uncertain cycles.
Dividend and earnings: what income investors are watching next
Ford’s dividend remains a major part of the bull case for many retail investors.
In its Q3 earnings release, Ford declared a $0.15 per share regular dividend (fourth-quarter regular dividend), payable Dec. 1 to shareholders of record Nov. 7. [18]
At Friday’s stock price (~$13.31), that $0.15 quarterly dividend annualizes to $0.60, implying a simple annualized yield of roughly 4.5% (not counting any special dividends, and noting dividends can change). [19]
For the next major catalyst date, Ford said it plans to report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Tuesday, Feb. 10. [20]
Analyst forecasts: where Wall Street thinks Ford stock goes from here
Analyst views on Ford remain notably mixed—more “show me” than “moon mission.”
A Nasdaq.com post (sourcing Fintel) said that as of Dec. 21, the average one-year price target for Ford was $13.12, with forecasts ranging from $9.90 to $17.16. [21]
Meanwhile, recent firm-level updates have tilted incrementally more optimistic after Ford’s strategic shift:
- Evercore ISI raised its price target on Ford to $14 from $12, while keeping an “In Line” rating, citing a refocus on U.S. ICE/hybrid vehicles and increased F-150 production. [22]
- MarketBeat also reported Evercore’s move and described a broader Street stance as mostly “Hold”, while listing several firms that have nudged targets higher in recent months. [23]
- MarketBeat’s analyst activity listing shows Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas boosting a Ford price target to $14 with an Equal Weight rating on Dec. 8. [24]
The subtext: analysts appear to be rewarding Ford for pulling capital back from unprofitable EV expansions—but many still want proof that the new path delivers durable margins and cash flow.
If you’re holding Ford stock this weekend: what to know before Monday’s session
Because the NYSE is closed right now, the practical question becomes: what could realistically move Ford at the next open?
1) Know the reopening mechanics and hours
NYSE core trading runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, with a pre-opening session beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET. [25]
2) Expect thin liquidity—and potentially sharper moves
Year-end trading can exaggerate reactions to headlines because fewer big players are putting on fresh risk. Reuters highlighted that the post-holiday tape has been light, even as indexes hover near highs. [26]
3) Watch Monday’s macro calendar for sentiment shifts
According to MarketWatch’s economic calendar, one notable U.S. release on Monday, Dec. 29 is Pending Home Sales (10:00 a.m. ET)—the kind of data point that can ripple into “rates + consumer demand” narratives that affect cyclical stocks like autos. [27]
4) Ford-specific weekend risk is mostly “headline risk,” not fundamentals
Between EV strategy resets, battery contract shakeups, and recall items, Ford is a headline magnet. Any additional reporting on policy, EV demand, battery supply, or quality could shift Monday’s tone quickly. [28]
5) Keep one eye on the next major fundamental checkpoint
Ford’s next big “numbers moment” is its Feb. 10 earnings report—where investors will look for updated guidance, EV loss trajectory, Pro margins, and capital allocation priorities. [29]
Ford stock right now is basically a three-way argument happening in public: cash-yield story (dividend) vs. cyclical risk (autos) vs. strategy transition (EV/hybrid/storage). Monday’s session won’t settle that debate—but it will reveal which side has louder conviction in the opening hour.
References
1. www.reuters.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.fromtheroad.ford.com, 6. s205.q4cdn.com, 7. s205.q4cdn.com, 8. s205.q4cdn.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. techcrunch.com, 11. techcrunch.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. s205.q4cdn.com, 19. s205.q4cdn.com, 20. www.fromtheroad.ford.com, 21. www.nasdaq.com, 22. www.tipranks.com, 23. www.marketbeat.com, 24. www.marketbeat.com, 25. www.nyse.com, 26. www.reuters.com, 27. www.marketwatch.com, 28. www.reuters.com, 29. www.fromtheroad.ford.com
