Ford (F) stared into the abyss that was 2009 and came away from the edge unscathed. Of the three major U.S. auto manufacturers, it stayed out of bankruptcy, never borrowed money from the government, and now it's gaining market share while others continue to lose it. So is the stock a buy?

Maybe. The famous and famously wealthy investor George Soros took a large position in the stock on November 17, about 7.3 million shares. Let's say he paid the high of the day that day of $9 a share. Now the stock sells a little over $11 as this is written. Mr. Soros made 22.22% on his investment so far. Not bad for less than two months. So he's made money. The stock has not traded above $11 since 2005 and is up 327% in the past year. So is there any room left on the upside?

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Time to Buy Ford?

Comfort Zone Investing: Time to Buy Ford? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The auto industry probably doesn't want to look back on 2009. Ignore the rearview mirror; put it in drive and move forward. At least the dismal year ended on a high note. Despite a total sales decline of 21.2%, to 10.4 million units, the industry gets to celebrate a 15.1% increase in sales for the month of December, according to Autodata.

For the Detroit crowd, Ford (F) led the pack, with December sales up almost a third. General Motors (GRM) ticked 5.7% higher, with Chrysler up 3.7% for the month.

Continue reading Auto Sales Surge in December, Capping Dismal Year

Auto Sales Surge in December, Capping Dismal Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Jumpy stock market but Special 'K' doing fine

Serious Money: Jumpy stock market but Special 'K' doing fine originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ford's Fusion sees record sales for fifth consecutive month

Ford's Fusion sees record sales for fifth consecutive month originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quarterly earnings could be up year-over-year by the fourth quarter. A low threshold for improvement, as a result of last year's Q3 financial meltdown, could set the stage for the appearance of a recovery, but the ride from here to there will be a difficult one.

Data from Bloomberg and S&P suggests that profits for stocks comprising the S&P 500 Index may be down 21% next quarter. It's still a double-digit blow, but a better result than Q2's estimated 34% -- and far ahead of Q1's 60% year-over-year fall in profits. The driver of a recovery, however concealed by low expectations, is likely to be a combination of unemployment and consumer spending. Last month, we saw unemployment reach a 26-year high, putting obvious constraints on purchasing.

Continue reading Q2 to be tough on earnings, but some improvement

Q2 to be tough on earnings, but some improvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ford now sits as a disadvantage. At least, for now.

Ford now sits as a disadvantage. At least, for now. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ford resists cutting dealer network, unlike GM and Chrysler

Ford resists cutting dealer network, unlike GM and Chrysler originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Bill Ford: What a great time to be in the auto business

Bill Ford: What a great time to be in the auto business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The advertising industry's "same old, same old" tack on strategic consumer messaging is tired, no matter how innovative the ad glitz is. Engaging consumers by encouraging a two-way line of communication is where it's at for a whole new crop of consumers.

Continue reading New Ford TV ads made by consumers

New Ford TV ads made by consumers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford (F): Do people really want hybrids? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about Ford below in the comments.

I didn't grow up in one of those families that placed a high premium on American-made goods. If the Japanese can make it better, we'll buy it from them! was the general consensus. And those foreign autos served the Harrows well. My parents bought their 1984 Toyota Tercel when it was new, and that unattractive but reliable compact was part of the family through the beginning of my college career -- even surviving my first, hilarious attempts to operate a manual transmission. So, it wasn't until I moved in with my friend Debbie, as an adult, that I learned the details behind a particularly unflattering nickname for the Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).

There are those who would joke that the letters in "FORD" stand for "Fix Or Repair Daily." I know from experience that if you make that particular wisecrack within Debbie's earshot, she probably won't crack a smile. Instead, you can almost see her wheels churning, as though she's trying to calculate the thousands she's already poured into her Ford Focus -- or maybe she's just trying to predict which part will break down next.

During the time we shared a mailbox, it was a not-out-of-the-ordinary occurrence for Debbie to receive recall notices bearing the familiar Ford logo. These repair-o-grams arrived with such frequency that the exact number now escapes my memory; when I questioned her via text message, she replied, "I have had six. Stupid car."

Continue reading Company nicknames: Ford's reputation for quality found on road dead

Company nicknames: Ford's reputation for quality found on road dead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford to extend buyout offers to more employees next week originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford Q4 earnings preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford models lead list of 'most delightful vehicles' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford finding success in RVs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• While the new Escape looks like it emerged from the 1990s, this small SUV looks distinctly 21st century. Shame on Ford.
• It's like if you want a decent American car, you have to move to Europe to buy one.
• Ford, listen up. I love Fords. I always have. I love THIS Ford Kuga. Next time I go out to buy a car, it will not be a Ford - because you think I do not deserve the chance to buy the Kuga. And that, Ford is why your unit sales stateside are going to continue down the toilet.
• Americans also don't particularly care about quality - just look at the pervasiveness of mcdonald's et. al. what do Americans like? a lot of cheap, style-free [expletive]. kinda like the escape.
• Your home market deserves better, Ford. Stop slapping us in the face!

Ford (F) making great cars -- but not in the U.S. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Liveblogging Ford Q2 earnings

Liveblogging Ford Q2 earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Motors is up nearly $1 so far today to $37.75 as of this post. An upgrade by J.P. Morgan is fueling today's rise.

Yet the road to recovery General Motors (NYSE: GM) continues to not be any easy one. In addition to plummeting sales in June for its U.S. operations, the company's recent share rally may be over in the face of labor worries once again. At least June sales for GM in India posted a healthy gain, or there would not be that much to talk about on the positive side for the automaker.

At the end of last week, GM shares took a downturn to the tune of more than 3% as investors sensed skittishness on the part of GM based on a downgrade from Bear Stearns from "peer perform" to "outperform." Again, union concessions from the UAW are to blame a bit, even in the midst of rumors that a more favorable labor deal may be on the way to GM, saving the automaker some cost as a result.

As has been the case for quite a while, higher labor costs continue to nip at the heels of both Ford (NYSE: F) and GM -- and it's something that most foreign auto competitors have avoided. Want figures? How about GM's $70/hour employee cost versus Toyota's (NYSE: TM) $40/hour employee cost? Yes -- both pay and benefits are factored in there. It's really not hard to see why GM has been (and probably will always be) at a cost disadvantage compared to the competition.

GM dealing with higher labor costs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first company in my series of the top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years is about to be acquired. Color Kinetics (NASDAQ: CLRK) is being pursued by Dutch-based company Philips Lighting for $34 per share. The Dutch company is the world's largest lighting company.

The $34 per share offer represents a $688 million total acquisition price. Color Kinetics management has endorsed the deal and is encouraging shareholders to accept the offer.

Color Kinetics brings a rich portfolio of patents to the marriage. With 64 patents having been granted and another 100+ patents-pending, Color Kinetics brings to Philips the next generation technology of LED lighting products. Color Kinetics had won many high-profile lighting contracts recently, including the dash-board lighting work for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F). The new-generation LED-based lighting systems had not yet been economical for residential housing applications, but the market is indeed moving in that direction.

With Philips owning Color Kinetics technology, the residential market will be within its reach in the near future. Color Kinetics is selling to Philips for nearly 7 times revenues, a rich valuation, but certainly not when considering the growth rate of Color Kinetics, 35-40%, and its patent portfolio.

Oh well, we still have 24 companies left on the original list of 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years...

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research.

Top 25 for NEXT 25 Years: Color Kinetics offered $34 by Philips originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Editorial director of Automotive News is claiming that General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM) and DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) are in serious discussions for GM to acquire the Chrysler division from DCX. You gotta be kidding.

GM has its own share of issues to work out. Why compound its problems with a failure like Chrysler? If Daimler cannot make it work -- and it has the resources, manpower and expertise -- what's going to allow GM to make it work?

The inevitable question will be: Can one plus one make three in this potential scenario? GM, and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) have been losing market share to the Japanese car makers on the low end-to high end markets, not to mention the small truck and SUV market. Chrysler has not been exactly setting any new sales records itself.

If GM were to absorb Chrysler, the initial upshot would be instant market share gains, but are they sustainable and more importantly, profitable? If Daimler couldn't make it a go in the USA with Chrysler, in spite of all the so-called cultural clashes within DCX, what's going to make GM successful? I don't think so...

Georges Yared is the author of "Baby Boomer Investing...Where do we go from here?" and "Stop Losing Money Today." For more info on both books go to http://www.georgesyared.com

Chrysler and GM: Makes no sense originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.