New York, May 17, 2026, 10:04 (EDT)
Ford Motor pulled back sharply on Friday, dropping 7.46% to $13.40 and capping a volatile week. Even after the drop, the stock is about 9% higher than it was last Friday. Volume ran to 108.27 million shares, much higher than in several earlier sessions this week.
No trading today as New York is shut for Sunday. NYSE’s normal hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday. With the market quiet, attention is turning to whether Ford Energy’s rally from last week will hold when trading resumes.
Ford surged 13% on Wednesday, its largest single-day gain in nearly six years, as Morgan Stanley pointed to the automaker’s energy-storage business. Investors for a short window valued the 122-year-old company like a power-infrastructure name instead of an automaker.
Ford Energy is looking to sell big battery units to data centers, utilities and industrial firms. The batteries use LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, an iron-based technology that is seen as cheaper and long-lasting. Ford is putting $2 billion into the business, aiming to start shipping to customers in late 2027 and put out at least 20 gigawatt-hours a year. That’s how much electricity the batteries can hold.
Morgan Stanley’s Andrew S. Percoco pointed to Ford’s CATL licensing deal as a key advantage. “We believe Ford’s relationship with CATL is an underappreciated strategic competitive advantage for its Energy Storage business,” Percoco wrote. He said Ford could end up supplying energy-storage systems that meet rules for U.S. utility and data-center clients. Investing.com
Ford’s pitch: The company could put its battery plants and supply contracts to work outside the EV market, just as data centers look for new power and backup options. Investors are tracking demand from hyperscalers, the big players running the largest cloud and data networks.
Ford put Lisa Drake in charge of Ford Energy earlier this year. Drake said the business will help Ford “maximise the value” of its battery manufacturing. Ford also said it would convert a battery plant in Kentucky and go after big customers needing utility-scale storage. electrive.com
Ford shares moved after the company reported a cleaner earnings picture. The automaker turned in a first-quarter net profit of $2.5 billion and lifted its 2026 adjusted EBIT outlook by $500 million, getting a boost from a $1.3 billion tariff refund. Still, Ford is dealing with materials costs and ongoing pressure on its key truck segment.
Peer action was uneven, and not just about Ford. General Motors ended down 3.72% Friday, while Tesla lost 4.75%. The S&P 500 shed 1.24% as stocks slumped broadly. Tesla is still the main comp on grid batteries, while GM offers a more standard Detroit matchup.
The rally may be running ahead of what’s actually happening, Barclays analyst Dan Levy said. He called Ford Energy a possible $3 billion revenue play with $300 million to $500 million in EBIT, but also flagged execution and ramp risks. Barclays kept its Equal Weight rating and held the price target at $13, which is below where Ford closed Friday.
Ford needs to show real supply deals, order backlog and specifics this week on moving battery capacity to storage revenue. Investors want more than talk. Otherwise, last week’s jump could just be traders moving on the AI power story, not a lasting shift in how the market values Ford shares.
