What Caused Ford's 14% Y/Y U.S. Sales Decline In April?

Ford Motor Company F reported a 14% drop year over year in U.S. sales to 178,667 units in April 2026. The decline is recorded across both Ford and Lincoln brands. Electric vehicle sales came in at 3,655 units, down 24.8% year over year, while hybrid sales fell 32.5% to 15,758 units. Internal combustion vehicle sales totaled 159,254 units, marking a decline of 11.8% year over year.

Truck sales slipped 14.1% year over year to 100,459 units, and SUV sales dropped 16.6% to 72,378 units, whereas car sales rose 18.1% to 5,830 units. The F-Series remained America’s top-selling truck lineup, with 62,048 units sold in April, though this was down 14.7% year over year. The Explorer SUV posted a modest increase, reaching 21,191 units.

Overall, Ford brand sales declined 14% year over year to 169,540 units, while the Lincoln luxury division dropped 21%. The Expedition saw a steep fall of 39% year over year. and Mustang Mach-E sales decreased 8.8%. Bronco Sport sales were down 12%, although it continues to track toward a record year-to-date pace. In contrast, the Bronco rose 19% year over year, surpassing Jeep Wrangler sales by its widest margin since its 2020 relaunch.

Rising oil and gas prices linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict have weighed on consumer spending, while elevated borrowing costs and high vehicle prices have made U.S. buyers more cautious. F carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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1 F’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

2 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

F’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Ford has underperformed the Zacks Automotive-Domestic industry and its peers, Tesla, Inc. TSLA and General Motors Company GM in the last six months. Its shares have lost 11.5% compared with the industry’s decline of 0.1%. Tesla has lost 9.3%, while General Motors has gained 7.6% in the same period.

The tech terrain in September resembles a ride through choppy waters after the puzzling scenarios that left investors bewildered in August.

Amidst the stillness in Bitcoin and Ether values reflecting ebbing investor enthusiasm, a wave of caution swept across the market in response to Broadcom's recent quarterly disclosure on the NASDAQ.

Tesla's Forward Drive

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) sparked a blaze of excitement by hinting at the impending release of its full self-driving technology in specific markets, propelling its shares towards new heights of optimism.

Qualcomm's Strategic Gaze

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) sets its sights on the prized segment of Intel's chip design business, eyeing a strategic move that could shift the tides in the fierce battleground of tech innovation.

The Market's Volatile Symphony

The opening movements of September for U.S. markets evoked dramatic notes with the sharpest decline since the turmoil of August 5. The Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) bowed down by 2.85 percent, the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) stumbled 1.83 percent, and the Russell 2000 (INDEXRUSSELL:RUT) lost 2.77 percent in a sudden, turbulent crescendo.

In the backdrop of this melodrama stood the unveiling of U.S. manufacturing data for August. The S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI, with a dip to 47.9 from 49.6 in July, waded below the neutral 50 for the second month consecutively. Concurrently, the ISM Manufacturing PMI climbed marginally to 47.2 percent in August, inching up from 46.8 percent in the previous month.

Across the border, Canada's S&P Global Canada Manufacturing PMI data cast a shadow over the S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX), signaling subdued production, reduced demand, and modest employment cuts.

The midweek crescendo witnessed the Bank of Canada orchestrating its third summer act of lowering interest rates, while the U.S. job market hit a somber note with job openings marking a three-and-a-half-year low in July, plummeting 1.1 million from a year earlier.

Amid the orchestrated chaos, the tune of major indexes maintained a steady rhythmic pattern. However, the Nasdaq Composite hit a dissonant chord at the market's bell, dragged down by a selloff that wiped out nearly 9.5 percent of NVIDIA's (NASDAQ:NVDA) value within a mere 24 hours.

The precipitous fall followed reports from Bloomberg alleging a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice due to an intensifying antitrust examination, a narrative that NVIDIA promptly disputed.

Financial Insights: Market Analysis and Trends Insights into Economic Trends and Market Performances

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From a valuation perspective, F appears undervalued. Going by its price/sales ratio, the company is trading at a forward sales multiple of 0.27, lower than the industry’s 3.45. Tesla is trading at a forward sales multiple of 13.92, while General Motors is trading at 0.37.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ford’s 2026 and 2027 EPS has moved up 5 cents and down 2 cents, respectively, in the past seven days.

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7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers “Most Likely for Early Price Pops.”

Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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