Franchise News

Ford's 2nd Quarter Profits Beat Expectations, Fueled by Sales in the U.S.

| By

Bob Shanks, Ford's Chief Financial Officer, said to Reuters that operating profits in the U.S. totaled nearly $2.6 billion, a record for the company in any quarter, and was linked to better pricing on new product launches.

A significant factor in the profitable quarter is the rollout of new versions of several models, which include the F-150 pickup truck, and the Edge and Explorer SUVs, Shanks told Reuters.

Bloomberg added that Ford's F-150s are loaded with pricey leather seats and technology, which help margins. In spite these additions, the automobile maker is reportedly selling these pickup trucks at a high rate.

Erich Merkle, Ford's sales analyst, told Bloomberg that the truck is selling for $44,100 on average, the highest transaction price in the full-size pickup segment.

The company reported, in a press release, a net profit of $1.9 billion, or 47 cents per share. Pre-tax profit is at $2.9 billion.

Bloomberg reported that analysts were estimating an average of only 37 cents per share.

"We delivered an outstanding second quarter, a great first half of 2015, and we are confident the second half of the year will be even stronger," Mark Fields, Chief Executive Officer of Ford, mentioned in a statement.

In addition, Bloomberg reported that the result will ease pressure on the company. Fields has pledged for pre-tax profit to grow as much as 51 percent this year as the company resumes full production of the F-150 pickup truck, its top-selling vehicle.

"Ford is all about the second half of this year," David Whiston, an analyst for Morningstar Inc. in Chicago, told Bloomberg. "The F-150 will be at full availability then, and the new Edge and Explorer SUVs are coming out at a time when gas is still pretty cheap."

The company maintained its pre-tax profit forecast of $8.5 billion to $9.5 billion for 2015, according to the press release.

Ford shares were up 2.7 percent to $14.95 before the market opened, Reuters reported.

© 2024 Franchise Herald. All rights reserved.

Franchise News

Real Time Analytics