If You'd Invested $10,000 in Ford (F) 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
Key Points
Ford's 10-year total return, which includes dividends, significantly lags the S&P 500.
There are factors, like low growth and profits, that highlight Ford being a subpar business.
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Last month, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) reported third-quarter 2025 financial results that were very well received by the market. Headline metrics were better than analysts had expected. This momentum helped drive the share price higher. It's now up 30% in 2025 (as of Nov. 17).
Ford is having a great year. But the long-term picture looks a bit different. If you bought $10,000 worth of this automotive stock 10 years ago, here's how much you'd have today.
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Ford's shareholder track record isn't exciting
In the last decade, the S&P 500 has generated a total return (dividends included) of 291%. This comes up well ahead of Ford, which put up a total return of 62% during the same stretch. Had investors purchased $10,000 of the S&P 500 10 years ago, their total return would be about $39,000. Investors who bought Ford stock in November 2015 would have a total return of $16,240 today. That's an underwhelming outcome.
Just measuring stock price, your $10,000 investment in Ford stock would have actually shrunk to $9,167 over the past decade. The S&P 500 over the same timeframe would have risen to $32,500.
Investors shouldn't expect market-beating returns
Ford might be crushing the market this year. But investors shouldn't expect these above-average gains to be a normal occurrence. To be fair, the current valuation looks cheap, and the dividend yield of 4.57% is hefty.
However, Ford typically doesn't register strong growth. Its profitability is extremely low. Capital expenditures are significant, and demand for vehicles is generally very cyclical, which adds meaningful risk.
Ford stock will likely continue underperforming the broader index over the next 10 years and beyond.
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Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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