New York, Jan 31, 2026, 07:28 (EST) — Market closed
Ford shares (F) slipped 0.9% to close at $13.88 on Friday, after the automaker disclosed a pension-related charge ahead of its quarterly earnings in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company anticipates a pre-tax remeasurement loss of about $600 million linked to pension and other postretirement employee benefits (OPEB), which will trim net income by roughly $0.5 billion after tax. However, adjusted EBIT — earnings before interest and taxes — remains unchanged. “The remeasurement did not have an effect on our cash in 2025,” Ford noted. (SEC)
Timing is key. Ford plans to unveil its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 10, with CEO Jim Farley and CFO Sherry House hosting a conference call, according to a company advisory. Since U.S. markets are closed over the weekend, Monday’s open will be the first real opportunity for investors to react to the filing. (Ford From the Road)
Pension remeasurements seldom affect a carmaker’s truck sales in the next quarter, but they can distort the headline profit figure. This impacts stock screens, investor sentiment, and occasionally debt ratios, despite management and many investors zeroing in on adjusted operating results.
A “remeasurement” acts as an accounting reset: a company revises assumptions and matches plan assets against future benefit obligations, recording the entire difference immediately instead of spreading it out. When rates and asset prices shift rapidly, this can cause reported earnings to jump unpredictably.
Ford’s stock has gained some momentum heading into the end of the month. According to data from MarketScreener, shares rose roughly 2.4% over the last five trading days and climbed about 5.8% year-to-date through Friday’s close. (MarketScreener)
Investors start the week amid new supply-chain turmoil. The Wall Street Journal revealed that First Brands Group, the bankrupt auto-parts supplier, landed emergency funding from automakers like Ford and General Motors. The cash injection is intended to keep parts flowing and operations going. (The Wall Street Journal)
Political scrutiny is heating up. The Financial Times revealed that Ford’s push to deepen its relationship with CATL has drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers like John Moolenaar, clouding the outlook for licensing agreements and incentives in Washington. (Financial Times)
On Wall Street, certain analysts remain focused on execution fundamentals instead of one-off accounting moves. Earlier this week, Piper Sandler’s Alexander Potter reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $16 target, pointing to possible warranty gains as a 2026 catalyst. At the same time, Barclays’ Dan Levy held a steady hold rating but raised his price target to $13, according to Insider Monkey. (Insider Monkey)
The risks are clear-cut. If rates jump suddenly or assumptions change once more, pension accounting could flip in the opposite direction next time. Plus, any hiccup in demand, pricing, or parts supply might push Ford to ramp up incentives or take on bigger costs.
Ford’s next major event is set for Feb. 10, when the company will report its fourth-quarter results and outline its strategy through 2026 on an earnings call. (Ford)
