Business Analysis- Ford Motor Company Essay

Profitability ratios are used to measure the overall efficiency of thebusiness, as well as management effectiveness. Examples of profitability ratios include the gross margin ratio and the net margin ratios.

The Activity ratios help to determine the company’s ability to convert different sectors of the balance sheet into cash or sales (Potter, Libby, Libby & Short; 2010). The ratios used under this test are; Days inventory, Days Receivable, Fixed Asset Turnover, Total Asset Turnover and Days Payable.

The profitability ration in a financial analysis is the ability of the organization to generate a profit. This ratio looks at areas such as net income, revenue, gross profit, earnings before taxes and interest and operating profit to name a few. Profitability shows the bottom line numbers for a company and is the goal that most organizations strive for. Ratios examined were gross profit margin and net profit margins

The market shares and stock prices of Ford have been declined in recent years. No further steps have been taken by the Ford

Ford Motor Company is America's one of the largest car manufacturer and seller. In year 1987 it faces an external business environment change in the form of new warranty policy announcement by its major competitors General Motor, which changes the current philosophy of warranty in U.S car market. This policy change may have implications not only on Ford’s sales and market share but also on various departments within organization (such as manufacturing, quality assurance, parts and service, and extended service plans) and their dealer network. In answer, Ford executives have to respond through a best suitable course of action by carefully analyzing the current market variables.

In April 2000, Ford Motor Co. announced a shareholder Value Enhancement Plan (VEP) to significantly recapitalize the firm's ownership structure. Ford had accumulated $23 billion in cash reserves and under the VEP would return as much as $10 billion of this cash to shareholders. In exchange for each share currently held, the plan would give stockholders one new share plus the choice of receiving $20 in either cash or additional new Ford common shares. Shareholders electing to receive cash would be taxed on these distributions at capital gain rates. Among other things, the plan provided a means for the Ford family to obtain liquidity without having to dilute their 40% voting interest (even though they own

Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the Ford company is the world’s fifth largest automaker in the world. Publicly traded and held on the New York Stock Exchange, Ford uses the symbol of “F” to identify itself. The purpose of this document is to investigate and determine if the Ford Motor Company is a good investment. I will further cover a financial analysis of Ford Motor Company, evaluate the businesses consolidated statements of income, balance sheet, statement of stockholders equity, and statement of cash flows, which this will confirm if my conclusion is correct.

Explain what shareholders would receive in exchange for (a) old common shares, (b) old class B shares, and (c) old shares held in the employee saving plan.

Next is Asset turnover with .55 times which is a measure of the efficiency of asset utilization. Finally the equity multiplier with 2.26 which is a measure of financial leverage of the firm. When compared to the traditional ratios we get similar results; Profit margin 25.44% (27% DuPont) versus 18.75% industry average. Asset turnover is .54 (.55 DuPont) versus .50 industry average. Equity multiplier 2.28 times (2.26 times DuPont) versus 2 times industry average. The results show that the DuPont analysis using ROE as the main determinant are very similar to the regular ratios. Furthermore the ROE of the traditional ratio is 31.32% with DuPont being 33.10% versus the industry average of 18.75% shows that the firms ROE is very robust. While the firm has some challenges with respect to liquidity and inventory management, as well as debt management it still is doing a good job with respect to its shareholders. However it could be doing a little better for the stockholders, and needs to address some of the above issues mentioned.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success” This quote was from Henry Ford, maker of Ford Motor Company. This quote means when you start working together, it’s just the beginning. When you stick together, you’re making progress with your peers. And when you are working together, it’s most likely to be successful.

The Automotive sector: Offers vehicles primarily under the Ford (www.ford.com) and Lincoln (www.lincoln.com) brand names. This sector markets cars, trucks, and parts through retail dealers in North America, and through distributors and dealers outside of North America. It also sells cars and trucks to dealers for sale to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies, and governments. In addition, this sector provides retail

Ford Motor Company is an American automaker and the world 's fifth largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales and is the second largest American automaker. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, the automaker was founded by Henry Ford, on June 16, 1903. In that same year, with 12 investors and 1000 shares, the company had spent almost all of its 28000 dollar cash investment by the time it sold the first Ford Model A on July 23 1903. By October 1 of that same year, Ford Motor Company had turned a profit of 37,000 dollars. By 1904, Ford Motor company built its first international plant in Walkerville, Ontario, right across the Detroit River from Ford’s existing facilities. The company was a separate organization with its own set of shareholders. it was created to sell vehicles not just in Canada, but also all across the British Empire (1904 current British Empire). Over the years Henry Ford Model T then put the world on wheels with a simple, affordable, and durable automobile.

Objectives |Metric |2009 |2010 |2011 |Target | |Revenue Growth |Annual Rate of Growth |-19.02% |10.90% |5.67% |5.5% - 6.0% | |Operating Profit Growth |% EBIT/Sales |0.72% |1.11% |1.13% |= or >1.13% | |Solvency |Net Profit + depreciation/Total Liabilities |1.4% |4% |12.3% |13 -14.5% | |

During the 2007-2008 economic recession, one of the most impacted industries was the automobile industry. The Big Three – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler were financially struggling to survive in the market. At this time, the Federal government worked closely with the Big Three in providing $17.4 billion worth of loans to cover operational costs for the companies. One major rival from the pack that withdrew the loan from the government was Ford Motor Company. Although Ford sales had been decreasing 20% from 2007-2008, Ford had prepared themselves in advance in 2006 by accepting an agreement with the United Automobile Workers. This agreement was incorporated to use company stock in order to finance half of its new retiree health care trust. During this time, Ford was led by President and Chief Executive Officer, Alan Mulally. Mulally was hired by the Executive Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, William Clay Ford Jr., on September 5, 2006. Immediately after being hired, Mulally began business changes internally and externally by making tough decisions that strengthened the company. Changes such as remaking the product lines, accumulating a sufficient amount of capital from U.S. banks, and recreating a brand image as a result of producing the Drive One campaign. All these changes impacted the company from top to bottom by increasing profitability and increasing employee morale making Ford Motor Company the victor of the Big Three.

Through the analysis of the Financial statement has concluded several ideas on how the company works, the finding of two superior ratios compare to the industry are gross profit margin and return on equity. This will be discussed further on the next paragraph.