Is Ford Stock a Buy Now?

Core Viewpoint - The S&P 500 has experienced a recent dip, but its trailing-12-month total return remains positive at 12.4%. In contrast, Ford Motor Company's stock has declined significantly, losing 11.5% over the past year, despite a high dividend yield of 6.03% [1][3][12]. Group 1: Investment Potential - Ford is a consistently profitable company, allocating excess earnings towards dividends, with $3.1 billion paid in dividends in 2024 [3]. - The stock's price-to-earnings ratio is 6.8, approximately 30$158 billion on cost of sales in 2024, which includes materials and labor, alongside high warranty costs [9]. Group 3: Profitability Concerns - Ford's operating margin and return on invested capital have averaged only 2% and 2.3% over the past decade, with no expected improvement due to the competitive and cyclical nature of the auto industry [10]. - The combination of low growth and high capital expenditure creates significant headwinds for Ford in establishing a durable economic moat [10].