F
Ford Motor Company
Consumer Cyclical · Auto Manufacturers · United States · Stock
Score Breakdown
Scored for Dividend Income profile
Sub-scores are 0–20 each; Model Score is weighted by your selected investment goal. How it works →
Why Ranked Here
- The composite score of 39.3/100 reflects a deeply negative profitability profile in FY2025, with net margin of -4.4%, operating margin of -4.9%, and return on assets of -2.8%, all scoring at the lowest possible level.
- Growth scored low due to the severe disconnect between marginal 1.2% revenue growth and a -238.5% collapse in net income, while momentum was tempered by declining quarterly revenues and extreme earnings volatility.
- Ford receives no thematic tailwind contribution under the current model methodology, as it is not assigned to any of the 24 tracked macro themes, leaving the score reliant entirely on fundamental factors.
Why Not Higher
- Profitability is uniformly negative across all measured dimensions in FY2025, and the growth score is heavily penalized by the swing to an $8.2 billion net loss, preventing any meaningful upward score contribution from these two factors.
- The dividend payout ratio of -36.6% and declining dividends per share since FY2023 limit the dividend score, while the absence of a macro theme assignment means Ford receives zero thematic tailwind in the model.
Data Confidence
10 / 10
Very High — full data coverage
Why This Score
Grounded in figures from this company's SEC EDGAR filings — not a restatement of the score itself.
Revenue grew modestly from FY2024 to FY2025, rising from $184,992,000,000 to $187,267,000,000 (+1.2%), but net income swung sharply from $5,894,000,000 in FY2024 to -$8,162,000,000 in FY2025 (-238.5%), and diluted EPS fell from $1.46 in FY2024 to -$2.06 in FY2025 (-241.1%).
The model rewarded the marginal top-line expansion but heavily penalized the severe deterioration in bottom-line results, producing a low overall growth score that reflects the disconnect between modest revenue gains and deeply negative earnings.
In FY2025, Ford reported a net margin of -4.4%, an operating margin of -4.9%, and a return on assets of -2.8%, all of which are negative across every measured dimension.
The model assigns the lowest possible profitability score because the company failed to generate positive returns on either a margin or asset basis in FY2025, indicating that costs exceeded revenues at both the operating and net income levels.
Filing evidence currently available does not support a more specific explanation for this factor.
Over the last four quarters, revenue trended downward from $50,184,000,000 in 2025Q2 to $43,253,000,000 in 2026Q1, while net income and operating income showed high volatility: net income swung from -$29,000,000 in 2025Q2 to $2,448,000,000 in 2025Q3, then collapsed to -$11,054,000,000 in 2025Q4 before recovering to $2,551,000,000 in 2026Q1, and operating income followed a similar pattern from $511,000,000 in 2025Q2 to -$11,557,000,000 in 2025Q4 and back to $2,329,000,000 in 2026Q1.
The model reflects a mixed momentum picture: the most recent quarter showed a meaningful earnings rebound, but the overall revenue trend is declining and the sharp swings in profitability introduce significant uncertainty, supporting a moderate rather than high score.
Ford has paid dividends per share of $0.50 in FY2022, $1.25 in FY2023, $0.78 in FY2024, and $0.75 in FY2025, demonstrating a continued but declining payout; however, the dividend payout ratio in FY2025 stands at -36.6%, reflecting that dividends were paid despite a net loss that year.
The model credits Ford for maintaining an established dividend payment history across multiple fiscal years, but the negative payout ratio in FY2025 and the downward trend in dividends per share since FY2023 temper the score, as sustaining dividends out of a net loss raises questions about long-term dividend coverage.
Ford is not currently assigned to any of the 24 tracked macro themes in the model.
The absence of a theme assignment means the security does not receive any thematic tailwind contribution to its score under the current methodology; this is a neutral classification rather than a negative signal about the company itself.
Research Summary
AI-generated analysis reflects data and conditions as of the report date shown above. Verify any specific figures through primary sources before acting on this analysis.
Ford Motor Company posted only marginal revenue growth of 1.2% in FY2025, rising to $187.3 billion, but suffered a dramatic swing to a net loss of $8.2 billion compared to net income of $5.9 billion in FY2024, driving diluted EPS from $1.46 to -$2.06. Profitability metrics were uniformly negative in FY2025, with a net margin of -4.4%, operating margin of -4.9%, and return on assets of -2.8%. Quarterly momentum has been highly volatile, with a severe operating loss in 2025Q4 followed by a meaningful rebound in 2026Q1, while revenue has trended downward over the past four quarters. Ford continues to pay dividends despite the net loss, though the payout has declined since FY2023 and the negative payout ratio raises questions about sustainability.
Plain English
Ford barely grew its sales in 2025 but lost over $8 billion that year, meaning it cost more to run the business than it brought in, and while the most recent quarter showed some recovery, revenues have been sliding and the company is paying dividends out of money it doesn't really have.
Bull Case vs. Bear Case
Bull Case
- The most recent quarter (2026Q1) showed a meaningful earnings rebound, with net income of $2.55 billion and operating income of $2.33 billion, suggesting some capacity for recovery after the severe 2025Q4 losses.
- Ford has maintained a multi-year dividend payment history, paying $0.75 per share in FY2025, demonstrating a continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders even in a difficult year.
- Revenue has remained at a large absolute scale, reaching $187.3 billion in FY2025, reflecting the company's significant market presence despite profitability challenges.
Bear Case
- Ford's net income collapsed from $5.9 billion in FY2024 to a loss of $8.2 billion in FY2025, a deterioration of -238.5%, and every profitability metric — net margin, operating margin, and return on assets — was negative in FY2025.
- Quarterly revenue has trended consistently downward from $50.2 billion in 2025Q2 to $43.3 billion in 2026Q1, and operating income swung to a loss of $11.6 billion in 2025Q4, highlighting extreme earnings volatility.
- Ford paid dividends despite reporting a net loss in FY2025, resulting in a dividend payout ratio of -36.6%, which raises serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of the dividend.
What Could Change the Picture
Bullish Triggers
- A sustained multi-quarter recovery in both revenue growth and positive net income — beyond the single-quarter rebound seen in 2026Q1 — would signal that the FY2025 losses were transitory rather than structural.
- A return to positive net and operating margins would meaningfully change the profitability picture, which currently scores at the lowest possible level due to uniformly negative margins in FY2025.
Bearish Triggers
- If the 2026Q1 earnings rebound proves short-lived and revenue continues its downward trend, the already-stressed dividend coverage and negative profitability metrics could deteriorate further.
- Continued payment of dividends out of net losses, combined with declining dividends per share since FY2023, could signal an impending dividend cut or suspension that would further pressure investor confidence.
Risk Profile
Medium RiskQuarterly earnings have been extremely volatile, with operating income swinging from a loss of $11.6 billion in 2025Q4 to a gain of $2.3 billion in 2026Q1, making near-term results highly unpredictable. Revenue has also trended downward over the past four quarters, from $50.2 billion in 2025Q2 to $43.3 billion in 2026Q1, adding to the uncertainty around Ford's near-term financial trajectory.
This report is for educational and research purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or tax advice — always conduct your own due diligence before making investment decisions.