Automaker Ford weakens profit outlook, shares fall
Ford expects $10 billion EBIT this year, down from $10 billion-$12 billion range
Third-quarter profit fell less than expected
Ford faces $5-billion loss on EVs this year despite cost improvements
Adds CFO comments in paragraphs 3, 12-13; analyst comment in paragraph 6
By Nora Eckert and Nathan Gomes
Oct 28 (Reuters) -Ford Motor F.N said on Monday it expects to meet just the lower end of its full-year profit guidance, and the U.S. automaker's shares fell 5% in after-hours trading.
Ford said it expects to earn about $10 billion in earnings before interest and taxes this year, instead of its prior range of $10 billion to $12 billion.
The company has been weighed down this year by high warranty costs and problems with its supply chain, worsened by recent hurricanes, Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said. Increasing competition from rivals that are producing affordable EVs has also hampered Ford's progress on cost-reduction, he said.
Third-quarter profit fell less than expected, however.
The company reported third-quarter net income of $900 million, or 22 cents per share, down from 30 cents a year ago. Results were hurt by a $1-billion charge it took on cancelling production of a three-row electric SUV in August.
"Ford and other domestic automakers are facing headwinds from still-elevated interest rates and well-above-average inventory levels, which is leading to an increase in incentives and other measures, which should eat into margins," said CFRA Research analyst Garrett Nelson.
On an adjusted basis, Ford reported quarterly profit of 49 cents per share, compared to analysts' average estimate of 47 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has made tough decisions about the company’s electric-vehicle lineup as competition from Tesla TSLA.O and Chinese automakers has intensified over the past year. Ford cancelled the highly-anticipated three-row EV, which it dubbed a "personal bullet train," saying the vehicle could no longer be profitable in the timeline required.
Company executives have said that new vehicles need to be profitable within 12 months of launch to make its battery-powered business sustainable.
The automaker's stock is down about 6% this year, falling less than Jeep-maker Stellantis'STLAM.MI 40% decline as the latter struggles with slowing sales and profits in North America and announces management shuffling.
The strongest of the Big Three this year has been General Motors GM.N. Its shares are up about 47% this year on consistently increased guidance. GM beat Wall Street's expectations when it reported third-quarter results last week.
EV LOSSES
Ford, one of the only legacy automakers to report its EV results separately, is facing around a $5-billion loss on its EVs this year. It recorded a loss of $1.2 billion in EBIT in the third quarter on its EVs, bringing its losses on the segment for the first three quarters of 2024 to $3.7 billion.
The company said it made nearly $1 billion worth of cost improvements year-over-year, but these gains were largely offset by industrywide pricing pressure.
Lawler said that pricing pressure on EVs will remain intense at least until 2026 as automakers flood the market with new models.
“It’s going to be a very competitive market and that’s what we need to be prepared for," Lawler said on a call with reporters.
Ford maintained its expectation to cut $2 billion of annual cost by year-end from materials, manufacturing and freight, as the automaker works to offset higher labor costs following a new agreement with the United Auto Workers union last year.
Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Rod Nickel
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