Ford Motor Co.’s credit is a step closer to returning to investment grade after Moody’s upgraded it to Ba1 from Ba2, placing it at the highest level of speculative-grade status.
The upgrade reflects the expectation “that Ford can sustain a marked improvement in its automotive [earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation] margin and automotive cash flow,” the rating agency said Thursday. Ford has been working to electrify its fleet for several years and is targeting an annual production pace of 600,000 electric vehicles by the end of this year, ramping up to 2 million by the end of 2026. It has also promised to make EVs half of its mix globally by 2030.
Ford’s F credit was downgraded to speculative-grade, or “junk,” status in 2020 amid concerns that a shutdown of its North American factories related to the COVID-19 pandemic would hurt margins and cash flow. As the following chart from BondCliQ Media Solutions shows, the company’s most active bonds over the last 10 days have all enjoyed better net buying. The 3.25% notes that mature in 2032 have seen $202 million of net buying in the period. The blue line shows total volume for each issue.