NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 12:50 EST — Regular session
Ford Motor (F.N) shares rose 4.7% to $14.39 by midday on Thursday after Piper Sandler upgraded the automaker to “overweight,” a call for the stock to outperform. The gain came as the broader S&P 500 was little changed. Reuters
The upgrade lands as investors look for signs Detroit is finding profit again after a rough stretch for electric-vehicle bets and pricing. Ford this week reported a 6% rise in 2025 U.S. sales, leaning on hybrids and its compact Maverick pickup while electric-vehicle sales growth cooled.
Ford has also put a date on its next software push: a Level 3 driver-assistance system in 2028. Level 3 means the car can drive itself in limited conditions and the driver can look away, but must be ready to take over; Tesla’s system is still considered Level 2, which requires eyes on the road. “Should it be a subscription? … We’re focused right now on making it super affordable,” Ford EV and digital chief Doug Field said about pricing. Reuters
Piper Sandler raised its price target on Ford to $16 from $11 and said Ford’s electric-vehicle “capitulation” was a “welcome development.” The broker pointed to Ford’s next-generation EV platform and argued it borrows from the manufacturing playbook used by Tesla and Chinese automakers. TipRanks
A Jan. 6 SEC filing showed Ford submitted its U.S. sales release as an exhibit. Ford said total 2025 U.S. sales rose to 2,204,124 vehicles and market share reached 13.2%, while hybrid sales climbed nearly 22% to 228,072 units; Maverick sales rose about 18% to 155,051. “Ford has the right product and powertrain offering,” said Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue and Model e. SEC+1
But the path is not clean. Ford on Thursday recalled 45,047 Mustang Mach-E SUVs from model years 2025-2026 over a software issue that can cause multiple exterior lights to go dark, a reminder that warranty and repair costs can still bite even as Wall Street cheers a reset.
Investors’ next hard check comes with quarterly results. Ford’s next earnings date is Feb. 10 after the market, Wall Street Horizon shows, with traders watching for 2026 margin targets, warranty-cost trends and any clearer timeline for pricing and rollout of the 2028 driver-assistance package.
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