If You Invested $1,000 In Ford's Stock One Year Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Investors who have owned stocks in the last year have generally experienced some big gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 SPY total return over the last 12 months is 23.2%. But there is no question that some big-name stocks performed better than others along the way.

Ford’s Big Run: One company that has been a great investment in the last year has been auto giant Ford Motor Company F.

For years, Ford lagged behind many of its competitors in terms of investing in next-generation autonomous and electric vehicle technology. The company has aggressively upped its commitment to innovation in the past two years, and investors have been handsomely rewarded.

In February 2021, Ford doubled its commitment to investing in electric vehicle technology from $11 billion to $22 billion through 2025. Ford also engineered the successful launch of its electric Ford Mustang Mach-E in December 2020.

Fortunately for Ford investors, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t negatively impact the auto industry nearly as much as experts had initially feared. Heading into 2022, Ford is anticipating a big launch of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup. Initial demand for the Lightning was big, forcing Ford to close reservations at 200,000 vehicles and increase investment in capacity expansion at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan.

At the beginning of 2020, Ford shares were trading at around $9.30. By the beginning of March, the stock had dropped to $7.11 after news of the coronavirus spreading in China prompted concerns about a U.S. pandemic.

Ford ultimately bottomed at $3.96 on March 23, 2020, the same day the S&P 500 bottomed. Fortunately for Ford investors, the dip did not last long.

By June 5, Ford shares were back above $7, and they haven’t traded below $7 since October 2020.

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Ford In 2022 And Beyond: Ford made it above $10 in January 2021, shortly before the company doubled its EV investment. The stock eventually made it as high as $25.87 in January 2022, its highest level in more than 20 years.

In recent days, the stock has pulled back from multi-decade highs, settling back down to $20.24.

Still, Ford investors who bought one year ago and held on have generated a big return on their investment. In fact, $1,000 in Ford stock bought on February 1, 2021, would be worth about $1,948 today, assuming reinvested dividends.

Looking ahead, analysts are expecting Ford’s stock to keep the pedal to the metal in the next 12 months. The average price target among the 19 analysts covering the stock is $23, suggesting 13.4% upside from current levels.

Photo: Courtesy of Mike Mozart on Flickr