One great thing you can say about legacy automaker Ford (F) is that, when natural disasters happen—like the ongoing wildfires in California—you can count on seeing Ford around to help out. And these wildfires will prove no different, noted a report from Ford Authority. Investors were not exactly pleased, oddly, and sent shares down fractionally in Friday afternoon’s trading.
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Ford has been keeping track of the events out in California, mostly by conferring with dealers, Ford employees, and even friends of Ford staff like CEO Jim Farley. And the word that has been coming back is every bit as apocalyptic as you might expect. Thus, Ford is moving to supply help to the wildfire areas, much in the same way it has in the past.
And it has been quite a help, previously. For instance, Ford F-150 pickups offer the Pro Power Onboard system as a means to supply emergency power during power outages. Ford puts support behind Team Rubicon, a disaster relief agency, and gave it a hand in putting together a Hurricane Helene disaster plan. Ford also built the Ford Bronco Wildland Firefighting Command Rig last year, which will be part of wildfire fighting efforts around New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument. What Ford is doing for the current wildfire, though, will likely be revealed down the line.
President-Elect Trump, Line One
Meanwhile, word from the Detroit Free Press noted that Bill Ford—executive chair of the Ford Motor Company—got an unexpected phone call from President-Elect Trump, and gave most everyone involved a certain sense of relief. Trump is “tuned into” Ford’s concerns, and “…supports a strong American industry,” the report noted.
The report noted that Ford will “have a seat at the table” when it comes to future economic developments, or so Ford believes. Ford noted this while at the Detroit Auto Show last night, at the same time when Jim Farley was also on hand to detail Ford’s plan to improve overall quality and affordability. Ford’s key focus will be on improving the powertrain, the report noted.
Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on three Buys, seven Holds and three Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 11.2% loss in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $10.31 per share implies 6.89% upside potential.
