“Sour Grapes”: Ford Stock (NYSE:F) Notches Up as Marshall Pushes Back on Battery Plant

Not long ago, we discovered that not everyone wants a new manufacturing plant. While these tend to mean new jobs and a boost in the economy, they still are not always welcome. Legacy automaker Ford (F) ran into just such an issue with a battery plant in Marshall, which elements of the community have been fighting almost since its inception. But Ford shareholders are still backing the company’s play, and Ford shares are up fractionally boost in Friday afternoon’s trading.

The battery plant has faced its share of outcry in the Marshall area. While Governor Whitmer is holding it up as a sterling example of economic development—something Michigan sorely needs after she ruined a significant portion of Michigan’s economy with draconian COVID-19 restrictions back in 2020—there are plenty of anti-China forces, not to mention some “not in my backyard” types who are opposed to the plant.

Bill Ford—Ford’s Executive Chairman—noted that this would be bad enough, but “industry competitors” are also getting involved, and are out to “submarine” the project in a bid to “hurt us.” Ford refers to this as “sour grapes.” In fact, one report suggested that General Motors (GM) is actually behind some “lobbying efforts for tighter rules around foreign entities of concern.”

The Escape Returns?

It was not so long ago that we heard that the Ford Escape would be on the chopping block before too much longer, but today, there was something of a breath of life for the car, at least in the short term. A report noted that, when asked, Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Gemini AI noted that the 2026 Ford Escape would get a mid-cycle refresh.

The report suggests that the new Escape will get “…a more aggressive grille, sharp LED headlights, and a floating roofline.” It is even possible, the report noted, that Ford might offer a hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid, version as well. Though such a report should be taken with a grain of salt—it is just AI talking, after all—the idea that Ford might have been prematurely canceling the Escape was not out of line. Especially considering that, as of 2023, the Escape was one of Ford’s top-selling models.

Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?

Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on two Buys, 12 Holds and three Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 11.91% loss in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $9.71 per share implies 7.66% downside risk.

See more F analyst ratings

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