Innovation sustains Ford’s dividend

Article Excerpt

Ford continues to aggressively pursue the development of electric-powered and self-driving cars. While that work is still ongoing, the automaker plans to add several of those vehicles to its lineup within the next couple years. Their addition should spur sales for Ford, which has seen its stock price drop 10% since the start of 2018 on weaker volumes and NAFTA worries. The lower stock price has further lifted the company’s high dividend yield, now 5.5%. Ford’s early focus on driverless and electric cars should pay off for aggressive investors with a steady, or rising, dividend rate. Originally founded in 1903 by automotive pioneer Henry Ford Company has raised its regular dividend three times since 2011 In 2017, it sold 6.6 million vehicles (under the Ford and Lincoln brands) through 11,428 dealers FORD MOTOR CO. $11 (New York symbol F, Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 4.0 billion; Market cap: $44.0 billion; Dividend yield: 5.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.ford.com) is the…