George S. May Business Blog

Ford rakes in nearly $1 billion in Q3

Much to the surprise of many, Ford posted some very nice numbers in their third quarter report. In terms of net income, Ford put up $997 million over third quarter, marking the automakers first operating profit in over a year.

Ford ended the third quarter $2.8 billion better than the second quarter, finishing with $23.8 billion. What’s more, Ford Credit, the financial arm of the automaker’s operations, posted an after-tax profit of $427 million. Though Ford is selling fewer vehicles overall from the heyday of the early 2000s, its off-lease models aren’t depreciating as rapidly as before and are selling for higher transaction prices at auction.
Though the road ahead may be tough for Ford, still, this is some very promising news.  Ford has been predicting profitability  to begin in 2011, so this positive cash flow is definitely a nice sign. Here is Ford’s press release detailing their early Christmas present:

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 2, 2009 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] today reported net income of $997 million, or 29 cents per share, in the third quarter as strong new products, structural cost reductions and improved results at Ford Credit lifted the company’s results despite continued weak global economic conditions. This is a $1.2 billion improvement compared with the same period last year.

Excluding special items, Ford posted pre-tax operating profits totaling $1.1 billion, an improvement of $3.9 billion from a year ago. This marks the company’s first operating profit since the first quarter of 2008. On an after-tax basis, excluding special items, Ford posted an operating profit of $873 million in the third quarter, or 26 cents per share, compared with a loss of $3 billion, or $1.32 per share, a year ago.

Ford’s North American operations posted a pre-tax operating profit of $357 million, its first quarterly profit since the first quarter of 2005. Ford South America, Ford Europe and Ford Asia Pacific Africa also posted pre-tax operating profits in the third quarter.

“Our third quarter results clearly show that Ford is making tremendous progress despite the prolonged slump in the global economy,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “Our solid product lineup is leading the way in all markets. While we still face a challenging road ahead, our One Ford transformation plan is working and our underlying business continues to grow stronger.”

Ford’s third quarter revenue was $30.9 billion, down $800 million from the same period a year ago. Automotive revenue is up $100 million from a year ago. This improvement was offset by a decrease in Ford Credit’s revenue reflecting a decline in receivables.

Ford reduced its Automotive structural costs by $1 billion in the quarter, largely driven by lower manufacturing and engineering costs, which included benefits from improved productivity, personnel reduction actions primarily in North America and Europe, and progress on implementing its common global platforms and product development processes. Through the first nine months, Ford has achieved $4.6 billion in Automotive structural cost reductions, exceeding its full-year 2009 target of $4 billion.

Ford finished the third quarter with $23.8 billion in Automotive gross cash, compared with $21 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2009. Automotive operating-related cash flow was $1.3 billion positive during the third quarter of 2009, an improvement of $2.3 billion from the second quarter 2009. Automotive operating-related cash flow was $3.4 billion negative during the first nine months.

“The Ford team delivered another solid quarter of results with strong contributions from all our business regions,” said Lewis Booth, Ford executive vice president and chief financial officer. “Positive cash flow, a stronger balance sheet and a third quarter operating profit are evidence that Ford is meeting the global economic challenges.”

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