Ford News: Ford Keeping Its Mouth Mostly Shut With Wall Street

[William Maley]

Automakers except for Tesla are finding it tough to appease to Wall Street. Despite rising sales and various plans for electrics and autonomous vehicles, Wall Street takes a very pessimistic view of the industry. Ford has been trying their best to change Wall Street's view but to no avail, so they are changing up their strategy.

“In the past, maybe we said too much. This is a very competitive world we’re in. You want to give Wall Street enough information, but you also don’t want to telegraph exactly where you’re going. And I think that’s a balance that we are going to continue to work on,” said Ford Executive Chairman, Bill Ford at a Detroit Economic Club event.

This assessment comes after analysts downgraded their rating of Ford after CEO Jim Hackett told investors that it would take time for him to turn the company around. According to Bloomberg, 19 analysts gave Ford a rating of Hold while 2 said to sell.

“We are trying to provide clarity without being so open that we tip our hand in some areas that we think are very key for competitive advantage. The key is providing clarity when we’re ready so that investors can make an informed decision,” said Ford.

Despite beating analysts’ earnings expectations for each quarter of this year, Ford's stock price has been hovering in the $12 range, down 2.5 percent year-over-year.

Source: Bloomberg

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