Summary
- Quarterly earnings fall to 14 cents/share but beat estimates
- Tariffs seen adding $2.5 bln in gross costs this year
- Ford shares drop 2.3% after hours
DETROIT, (Reuters) – Ford Motor suspended its annual guidance on Monday because of uncertainty around U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, saying the levies would cost the company about $1.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes.
“It’s still too early to fully understand our competitors’ responses to these tariffs,” Ford CEO Jim Farley told analysts on Monday evening. “It’s clear, however, that in this new environment, automakers with the largest U.S. footprint will have a big advantage.”
Ford reported after the close of the U.S. stock trading session, and its shares fell about 2.3% in after-hours trade.
The tariffs are expected to add $2.5 billion in costs overall for the year, mainly related to expenses from importing vehicles from Mexico and China, Ford executives said. The automaker suspended automotive exports to China, but still imports vehicles like its Lincoln Nautilus from the country.
Company executives said it has been able to reduce about $1 billion of that cost through various actions, including transporting vehicles from Mexico to Canada using bond carriers, so they are not subject to U.S. tariffs.
In February, the Dearborn, Michigan automaker projected earnings before interest and taxes of $7.0 billion to $8.5 billion for 2025. That forecast did not take tariffs into account.
The automaker’s Chief Financial Officer Sherry House said it was on track to meet that guidance, excluding the fallout from tariffs.
While rivals such as General Motors recently provided updated guidance, Ford executives said they suspended the company’s outlook until they have more clarity about the effect of retaliatory tariffs, as well as how consumers may react to price increases.
“It’s a bold move for them to withdraw guidance when GM gave revised guidance including tariffs, though to be fair things are very uncertain,” said Morningstar Research analyst David Whiston.
OFFSETTING TARIFF COSTS
Ford’s earnings per share fell to 14 cents in the first quarter, far surpassing LSEG analysts’ estimate of 2 cents per share but down from 49 cents a year earlier. Cost and quality improvements helped Ford beat expectations, executives said.
Earlier this year, the automaker had warned that first-quarter results would be affected by production disruptions related to product launches at several plants. Net income fell sharply to $471 million from $1.3 billion a year earlier.
Ford’s revenue fell 5% to $40.7 billion in the quarter but beat expectations of about $36 billion. Earnings got a boost as consumers rushed to snatch up vehicles, concerned tariffs would lead to price hikes. Ford was one of a few automakers that ran incentives to grab market share during this buying frenzy.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on automotive imports were expected to add more than $100 billion in costs for automakers in the U.S. this year, according to some estimates.
The president approved a reprieve last month around levies placed on automotive parts, providing auto companies with credits for up to 15% of the value of vehicles assembled domestically, as well as relief from other duties.
This month, GM cut its profit forecast and said tariffs were expected to cost it up to $5 billion.
“Investors have preferred Ford over GM given Ford has a much higher mix of U.S. sales that are assembled in the U.S.,” Barclays analysts said in a note, citing Ford’s 79% of U.S. sales assembled in the country versus GM’s 53%.
Jeep-maker Stellantis also suspended its guidance due to tariff uncertainty.
EV LOSSES GROW
On top of headwinds from Trump’s trade policy, Ford faces significant losses on its electric vehicles.
The automaker this year projected losses of up to $5.5 billion on its EV and software operations. It has already sustained more than $10 billion in losses since 2023.
Reuters exclusively reported that Ford ended an expensive effort to build a next-generation electrical architecture for its vehicles called FNV4, after delays and mounting expenses stymied its development.
When asked about the report, Farley said the move is “a very significant save for capital efficiency.”
Ford Pro, the company’s profitable commercial vehicle segment, posted first-quarter revenue of $15.2 billion, down 16% from a year ago. Ford’s gasoline-engine division posted quarterly revenue of $21 billion. Its Model e division, which includes software and EV efforts, recorded revenue of $1.2 billion for the three months.
Reporting by Nora Eckert and Nathan Gomes; Editing by David Gregorio
Source: worldautoforum.com
