es were down from the previous two years. The opportunities for Ford lie in their ability to lead the automotive industry in a global expansion. Their use of technology will allow them to accomplish this task. Internet and E-Commerce are two examples of technological opportunities available to Ford. Examples of their attempts to lead the industry were mentioned previously. The threats that face Ford include an increasing number of well-informed consumers attributable to the availability of information on the web. The demand for higher quality vehicles at cheaper prices has forced the automobile manufacturers to become more efficient and competitive. Honda, GM, and Chrysler are Ford’s main competitors in the industry. Even though the worldwide automotive market is very large the companies in this industry are fiercely competitive for every part of the market.Summary:For the past 5 years, Ford has been a leader in the automobile industry. They are the number one maker of cars and the number two maker of trucks in the world, assuring them a strong market share. Their estimated 17.11% long-term annual growth rate shows they do not face a going concern problem and that they expect to be profitable for many years to come. Between 1997 and 1998, net income rose by 10%, as did earnings per share and dividends per share. Between those two years, the common stock price rose by 31% and total shareholder returns by 32%. Vehicle unit sales and the total company sales and revenues were both down by 1% in 1998.Current stock price:Ford is traded on the NYSE under the symbol F. As of March 17th 2000, Ford’s current stock price was listed at $44.625. This is close to its 52- week low of $40.25. The 52- week high was $67.875. With 1,222 million shares outstanding, this gives Ford a market capitalization rate of $54,531 million. Dividends per share were $1.84 and earnings per share were $5.86. Thus, our Price/Earnings Ratio ...
