Our guide to buying Ford stock includes suggestions for researching Ford’s dividend, allocation and order types.
Written by
Written by
Written byEdited by
Edited by
Edited by otherUpdated
Addas a preferred source on Google
NerdWallet is committed to editorial integrity.
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
How to Start Investing in StocksWhat Is the Average Stock Market Return?How to Make Money in Stocks in 2026: 6 Easy StepsHow to sell stock: A 3-step guide for beginnersFord is one of the best-known automakers in the world. Its F-series pickup trucks have been the bestselling vehicles in their class for nearly 50 years in a row. And the Ford Fiesta, though relatively rare in the United States, is one of the bestselling cars globally.Ford stock is almost as popular with investors as Ford cars are with drivers. Ford stock is a component of the S&P 100, the large-cap portion of the S&P 500 index. Interested in owning it? Check out our guide on how to buy Ford stock below.
How to buy Ford stock
You can buy Ford stock through a brokerage account. You'll need to add money to the account and then search within the brokerage's platform using the symbol "F." You can also buy Ford stock through Ford's direct stock purchase plan.» Check out the best brokerage accounts for stock trading» Check outBrokerage firms
1. Read about Ford’s fundamentalsYou may be very familiar with Ford’s cars and trucks, but are you familiar with Ford's management? How about its revenue, net income and dividend?With a large, diversified company such as Ford, it’s good to know how much revenue comes from each division and how each division impacts Ford’s net income.If you’re interested in Ford’s dividend, check out its dividend yield (its dividends per share over the last year, divided by its current stock price) and see how it compares to other companies in its industry.It’s also worth looking at Ford's dividend payout ratio, or its total dividends over the last year divided by its net income over the last year. Dividend investors generally look for stocks with payout ratios below 80%. Companies with higher ratios may have trouble affording their dividends if net income dips.For more tips, check out our guide on how to research stocks.
2. Think about how Ford stock would fit into your portfolio
2. Think about how Ford stock would fit into your portfolioOnce you’ve done your research on Ford stock, consider whether buying it would make sense in the context of your overall investment goals.Generally speaking, you should only buy stocks with money you’re willing to invest for five years or more. That way, if the market crashes, you’ll have plenty of time to recoup your losses before cashing out.If dividend-paying blue-chip stocks like Ford already make up a big chunk of your portfolio, you may want to invest in something else for the sake of diversification.Speaking of diversification, consider index funds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds as alternatives to buying individual stocks. Building a diversified portfolio of individual stocks can mean researching dozens of companies, which can be a substantial time sink.Funds can give you exposure to hundreds of stocks with a single purchase. It’s a good rule of thumb to invest no more than 10% of your portfolio in individual positions and keep the rest in a mix of low-cost funds.If you have a long time horizon and a well-diversified portfolio that could benefit from more exposure to a company like Ford, keep reading.
3. Open a brokerage account or enroll in the Ford stock purchase program
3. Open a brokerage account or enroll in the Ford stock purchase programYou have two choices for where to buy Ford stock:Buy Ford stock directly via Computershare. Some companies, including Ford, offer direct stock purchase plans which allow you to buy shares without a brokerage account, subject to various fees and investment minimums. Ford’s plan, which is offered through financial services firm Computershare, requires a minimum one-time investment of $500, or a minimum recurring investment of $50 for at least 10 purchases. It also charges a $5 fee for one-time investments, a $1 fee for recurring investments, and a $0.03 fee per share, as well as a 5% commission on dividend reinvestments.Buy Ford stock directly via Computershare.Buy Ford stock in a brokerage account. Brokerage accounts are investment accounts that can be opened easily online. They don’t typically charge fees or require minimum investments, and many don’t charge commissions for buying stocks. For more information, check out our article on how to open a brokerage account.Buy Ford stock in a brokerage account.
4. Decide how much Ford stock to buy and place your order
4. Decide how much Ford stock to buy and place your orderHow many shares should you buy? That largely depends on the size of your portfolio. Some advisors recommend a “5% rule” that says no single investment should make up more than 5% of your portfolio.If the amount you want to invest isn’t a multiple of Ford’s stock price, don’t worry. Many brokerage accounts allow investors to buy fractional shares.Once you’ve done your research, determined how Ford would fit into your portfolio, opened a brokerage account or direct purchase account, and decided how much to buy, you’ll be ready to buy Ford stock. The last step is to choose between placing a market order or a limit order.A market order tells your broker to buy a stock for you as fast as possible, at the market price. That means the price you get may be different from the price you see when you start the order. A limit order, on the other hand, tells your broker to buy a stock for you if it’s trading at or below a specific price. If the stock isn’t available at that price, the order won’t go through.You can read more about different types of orders in our general guide to how to buy stocks.Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.Explore more on
Addas a preferred source on Google
About the author TaubeSam Taube writes about investing for NerdWallet. He has covered investing and financial news since earning his economics degree from the University of Maryland in 2016. Sam has previously written for Investopedia, Benzinga, Seeking Alpha, Wealth Daily and Investment U, and has worked as an editor for Investment U, Wealth Daily and Haven Investment Letter. He is based in Brooklyn, New York.Published inWhat Is a Brokerage Account? Where and How to Open OneBy Arielle O'Shea, Pamela de la FuenteBest Brokerage Accounts for Online Investing and Stock Trading in 2026By Chris DavisBest Investments: Where to Invest in 2026By Chris Davis, Alieza DuranaThe Best-Performing Stocks in 2026 (By One-Year Returns)By Arielle O'Shea, Chris DavisInvesting in Dividend Stocks: Guide, Calculator and Top 7 Yields for July 2026By Chris Davis, Sam Taube