New York, May 24, 2026, 09:02 (EDT)
Ford Motor Co. stock finished Friday at $14.93, up 9.22%. The NYSE is shut for Memorial Day, giving the shares some momentum heading into Tuesday’s open. Next trading starts Tuesday morning.
Why it matters now: Investors are revaluing Ford as its focus shifts to energy storage, not just cars. Ford Energy, the company’s energy arm, is working on battery energy storage systems—large batteries for utilities, data centers, and industrial customers. Morgan Stanley analysts told Reuters Ford’s license from CATL for battery technology could give it an edge.
Ford Energy and EDF power solutions North America agreed to a five-year deal where EDF can buy up to 4 gigawatt-hours of capacity a year from Ford, with a cap of 20 GWh over the contract. A gigawatt-hour is a measure of storage capacity. Deliveries start in 2028.
Ford wants to make its EV story more predictable for investors. Lisa Drake, Ford Energy president, said the EDF deal “validates the market’s need” for a large supplier. EDF power solutions North America CEO Tristan Grimbert called supply-chain reliability and product quality “paramount.” Q4 Capital
Ford put out a filing saying its stake in BlueOval SK, its battery venture with SK On and SK Battery America, was bought out. Ford no longer has to put up to $6.6 billion into the venture. A Ford subsidiary took control of battery plant interests in Kentucky. The company also assumed a $3.805 billion DOE note at 4.814% interest, with payments due from 2030 to 2040.
Ford stock notched its highest close in almost three years, MarketWatch said. Shares jumped more than 24% in May and put the automaker in the S&P 500’s top 10 for the year to date. According to the report, Ford was up 13.8% on the year, while General Motors dropped 3.1% and the wider index climbed 9.2%.
Ford lifted its 2026 adjusted EBIT guidance to $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion in April, but old issues are still hanging around. EBIT is earnings before interest and taxes, a measure of operating profit. The company is still dealing with higher aluminum-sourcing costs after a Novelis supply disruption affecting the F-150, Reuters said. JPMorgan’s Ryan Brinkman said Ford could be struggling more with the fallout from that fire than people expected.
Europe was part of the week’s story. Ford plans to introduce seven models in the region by 2029 to boost passenger-car sales and fend off Chinese rivals such as BYD. “We need to stand out in a crowd,” Ford’s European president Jim Baumbick told Reuters. Reuters
F-150 output is on hold at Ford’s Dearborn plant after a hood die broke at a nearby stamping facility, CBT News said, picking up a report from The Detroit News. UAW Local 600 President and Chairman Nick Kottalis told the outlet workers could get the call back as soon as Sunday, but figured Tuesday was more realistic due to Memorial Day.
But the risk is clear. If Ford can’t restock its high-margin trucks soon, or if investors start to think the storage play is too far off since EDF deliveries wait until 2028, the shares might reverse some of the gains before the market sees Ford Energy’s earnings impact.
Price discipline is the first thing to watch Tuesday. If the stock holds Friday’s close, investors could be signaling patience for the storage angle to play out. But if the shares fade, it looks like the market isn’t buying Ford as an energy-storage name, seeing the company as a truck play still fighting cost problems.
