Ford Motor Stock: Is F Outperforming the Consumer Cyclical Sector?

With a market cap of $51.1 billion, Ford Motor Company (F) designs, manufactures, markets, and services Ford trucks, SUVs, commercial vans, passenger cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles across markets such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Its operations are organized into segments including Ford Blue, Ford Model e, Ford Pro, and Ford Credit, covering internal combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicle development along with digital technologies. 

Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally considered "large-cap" stocks, and Ford Motor fits this criterion perfectly. In addition to vehicle production and sales through dealers and distributors, the company provides financing, leasing, telematics, EV charging solutions, and other mobility services to retail and commercial customers.

Shares of the American car maker have declined 15.7% from its 52-week high of $14.80. Over the past three months, shares of Ford Motor have fallen 3.6%, underperforming the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLY) nearly 3% drop over the same period.

Shares of Ford Motor have declined 4.3% on a YTD basis, lagging behind XLY's 2.7% decrease. However, longer term, F shares have surged 30.2% over the past 52 weeks, outpacing XLY’s 9.9% gain during the same period.

The stock has shown a bullish trend, consistently trading above its 50-day moving average since late April 2025 and 200-day moving average since early May 2025.

Shares of F rose 2.1% following its Q4 2025 results on Feb. 10. The company reported record full-year revenue of $187.3 billion, marking its fifth consecutive year of revenue growth, and generated $21.3 billion in operating cash flow with $3.5 billion in adjusted free cash flow for 2025. Investors were also encouraged by strong performance in the Ford Pro segment, which produced over $66 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in EBIT with double-digit margins, along with a 55% jump in Ford Credit earnings to $2.6 billion. 

Additionally, the company issued a positive 2026 outlook, forecasting adjusted EBIT of $8 billion - $10 billion and adjusted free cash flow of $5 billion - $6 billion.

In comparison, rival General Motors Company (GM) has lagged behind Ford Motor stock on a YTD basis, with GM shares falling 5.9%. Shares of General Motors have soared 57.8% over the past 52 weeks, outpacing F stock.

Despite Ford Motor's outperformance relative to the sector over the past year, analysts are cautious about its prospects, with a consensus “Hold” rating from the 23 analysts covering the stock, and the mean price target of $13.51 suggests a premium of 8.3% to current levels.