Ford: Not a Wall Street favorite

Further, Bauer said that investors driving Ford's shares down has not been an unwarranted sequence of events. Although Mulally has done good job lowering legacy costs, Ford's fleet remains inadequate, he said. The company was slow to notice the downcycle in SUV sales, and remained wedded to a generally lower-miles-per-gallon fleet despite a doubling of gasoline and diesel prices as the decade progressed, Bauer added. Gasoline and diesel's latest jolt higher during the last three months has subsequently stressed F-Series pickup truck sales.

"Ford now has to re-engineer for major gains in fuel efficiency, styling, and emissions, and introduce new models, while revenues remain low and against strong competition from Asian and European imports. It's a daunting task," Bauer said. "At the very least it means there's no short-term turnaround in Ford's shares, which is why many investors are willing to take an $8.50 exit."

Last month, Ford announced that it longer expected to return to profitability in 2009, The AP reported.