In this articleFFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTDETROIT — Ford Motor beat Wall Street’s top- and bottom-line expectations for the fourth quarter but forecast a tougher year ahead for the company, as CEO Jim Farley promises improvements in vehicle quality and costs.Shares of Ford fell 5% in after-hours trading.Ford’s forecast this year calls for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT, of $7 billion to $8.5 billion; adjusted free cash flow of $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion; and capital expenditures between $8 billion and $9 billion.For 2024, Ford reported adjusted EBIT of $10.2 billion, or $1.84 in adjusted earnings per share, and net income of $5.9 billion, or $1.46 in earnings per share. The automaker reported total revenue, including its financial arm, was a company record of $185 billion, and adjusted free cash flow was $6.7 billion.”We think it’s prudent. There’s a lot of external factors … but our future is really in our hands,” Farley said Wednesday during CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on the cautionary guidance. Here’s how the company performed in the fourth quarter compared with average estimates compiled by LSEG:Earnings per share: 39 cents adjusted vs. 33 cents expectedAutomotive revenue: $44.9 billion vs. $43.02 billion expectedThe company said its 2025 guidance, which is in line with or lower than many analysts’ expectations, “presumes headwinds related to market factors.” They include 2% industry lower pricing and slightly lower wholesales for Ford but not additional tariffs by the Trump administration.”Given the pause in the current tariff situation, specifically in Mexico and Canada, we are not choosing to take any actions at this time,” Ford Chief Financial Officer Sherry House told media on Wednesday during a call. “We’re going to let this run itself out so we can better understand the potential impacts on our business.”[embedded content]Ford, GM, Stellantis and Tesla stocksHouse said this year’s forecast also takes into account expectations of a $1 billion reduction in material and warranty costs compared with last year. This follows $1.4 billion in cost reductions in 2024, which were largely offset by unexpected quality and warranty costs.The first half of 2025 is expected to be weaker than the backend. That includes first-quarter adjusted EBIT that is projected to be roughly breakeven due to lower wholesales and less profitable vehicles being produced, including launch activity at major U.S. assembly plants in Kentucky and Michigan.For the fourth quarter of 2024, Ford reported net income of $1.8 billion, or 45 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $526 million, or a loss of 13 cents per share, a year earlier. Adjusting for one-time items, the company reported earnings per share of 39 cents.Ford’s traditional “Blue” operations and “Pro” fleet businesses carried the automaker to profitability, as its “Model e” electric vehicle business lost $5.08 billion in 2024, including $1.39 billion during the fourth quarter.The Ford exhibit area is shown at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, on Jan. 10, 2025.Bill Pugliano | Getty ImagesIts Blue business, which includes internal combustion engine vehicles, earned $5.28 billion in 2024, a nearly $2.2 billion decrease from the year before. Pro earned more than $9 billion last year, including $1.63 billion in the fourth quarter.For 2025, Ford is forecasting EBIT of $7.5 billion to $8 billion from Ford Pro; $3.5 billion to $4 bil …
