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Ford Motor Co. (F), founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, transformed the U.S. auto industry and transportation for millions of Americans. Ford’s highly efficient mass-production assembly lines, a new innovation, enabled Ford to make the affordable and popular Model T automobile.
Today, Ford is one of the world’s largest automakers. Ford designs and manufactures a variety of cars, trucks, SUVs, electric vehicles, and luxury vehicles. The company also provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company LLC, and now is focusing on becoming a leader in smart-vehicle and autonomous-driving technology.
The top shareholders of Ford are William Clay Ford, James D. Farley, James P. Hackett, Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc. (BLK), and Newport Trust Co.
Ford’s 12-month trailing net income and revenue was $4.3 billion and $176.1 billion, respectively. This financial information is relevant through Q4 2023. As of February 8, 2024, the company’s market cap is about 51 billion.
Key Takeaways
- Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, Ford Motor Co. made significant strides in the U.S. auto industry.
- Ford stands as a global automotive powerhouse, reporting a net income of $4.3 billion and revenue of $176.1 billion in 2023.
- Among the prominent shareholders of Ford are individuals such as William Clay Ford, James D. Farley, and Alexandra Ford English.
- Ford also boasts several institutional investors like Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc., and State Street Corp.
Top 3 Individual Insider Shareholders
Here are the top three individual insider shareholders of Ford stock. Note that these figure represent the actual ownership of the stock; it does not represent any options contracts or agreements.
William Clay Ford, Jr.
As of 12/18/2023, William Clay Ford owned a total of 14,216,096 Ford shares, representing 0.04% of the company’s total shares outstanding.
The great grandson of company founder Henry Ford, Mr. Ford has led the board of directors as executive chair since 2006 and as chair from 1999 to 2006. During his tenure as chair, he helped to lead Ford through the Great Recession of 2007-2009, a period when U.S. rivals General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy. He served as Ford’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 2001 to 2006.
He first joined the company in 1979, and since then has held positions in manufacturing, sales, marketing, product development, and finance. During that period, Ford served on the company’s National Bargaining Team in the Ford-United Auto Workers labor talks in 1982; as head of Business Strategy for the Ford Automotive Group in 1990, and helped develop guidelines for establishing manufacturing plants in emerging markets. During his tenure as CEO, he improved quality, lowered costs, introduced new products, and took Ford from a $5.5 billion loss in 2001 to three consecutive years of profits.
“Insider” refers to people in senior management positions and members of the board of directors, as well as people or entities that own more than 10% of the company’s stock. In this context, it has nothing to do with insider trading.
James D. Farley, Jr.
As of March 2023, James D. Farley owned a total of 1,988,943 Ford shares, representing less than 0.01% of the company’s total shares outstanding.
Mr. Farley joined Ford in 2007 and now is Chief Operating Officer (COO). In addition to overseeing the company’s global markets and automotive operations, Farley leads several new initiatives, including Ford Smart Mobility, Ford Autonomous Vehicles, and the company’s partnership with Argo AI, an autonomous driving technology company.
During his 13 years at Ford, Farley’s other positions have included: President of New Businesses, Technology and Strategy; Executive Vice President and President of Global Markets; and Executive Vice President and President of Ford Europe, Middle East and Africa. He led the company’s European business to record profits and margins, and increased sales. Prior to joining Ford, Farley previously was: group vice president and general manager at Lexus, responsible for all sales, marketing and customer satisfaction; and a group vice president at Toyota Motor Corp.
Alexandra Ford English
As of December 18, 2023, Alexandra Ford English held 1,406,945 shares of Ford stock, also less than 0.01% of total outstanding shares.
Ms. English, a member of the Board of Directors at Ford Motor Company since May 2021, joined Ford in 2017. English held various positions within the company including Global Brand Merchandising Director and roles in Corporate Strategy and Autonomous Vehicle Operations.
English is actively engaged in philanthropic endeavors, supporting organizations like The Children’s Center in Detroit and Impact100. English holds degrees from Stanford University in Human Biology and Harvard Business School in Business Administration.
Top 3 Institutional Shareholders
Institutional investors hold between roughly half of total shares outstanding at any given time. As of February 2024, institutions owned 54.36% of all Ford shares, though this amount fluctuates frequently.
Vanguard Group Inc.
Vanguard Group owns 339.9 million shares of Ford, representing 8.7% of total shares outstanding. The company is primarily a mutual fund and ETF management company offering 422 funds to 50 million customers. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is one of the company’s largest exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with just over $1 billion in AUM as of January 31, 2024. Ford comprises 0.12% of VOO’s holdings.
BlackRock Inc.
BlackRock owns 287 million shares of Ford, representing 7.3% of total shares outstanding. The company is primarily a mutual fund and ETF management company with approximately $10 trillion in AUM. The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) is among one of BlackRock’s largest ETFs with approximately $430 billion in AUM. Ford comprises 0.12% of IVV’s holdings.
State Street Corp
State Street Corp ownd 167,767,216 shares of Ford stock as of September 30, 2023. This represents approximately 4.2% of outstanding shares.
As of February 8, 2024, the most recent annual report filed by State Street Corp was for fiscal year 2022. In the report, the company reported $3.481 trillion in AUM. One of the mutual fund company’s ETFs is SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust. The fund has AUM of $487.7 billion as of February 7, 2024. Ford’s weight in the fund is approximately 0.12%.
What Is Ford’s History and Heritage?
Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and played a significant role in revolutionizing the automotive industry with the introduction of assembly line manufacturing techniques.
How Many Employees Work at Ford?
Ford employes approximately 177,000 employees around the world. It’s global headquarters is Dearborn, Michigan.
What Are Ford’s Busines Segments?
In the company’s 2023 financial statements, Ford distinguished different product lines. It segments its products into: Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit. These were previously known as the automotive, mobility, and credit segments.
The Bottom Line
Ford Motor Co., founded by Henry Ford in 1903, revolutionized the U.S. auto industry with its mass-production assembly lines, particularly with the Model T automobile. Today, Ford is a global automotive giant producing a wide range of vehicles including electric and luxury models. Key shareholders of Ford include William Clay Ford, James D. Farley, and James P. Hackett, along with institutional investors like Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc., and State Street Corp.