Ford Motor's Stock Falls After February U.S. Sales Decline

Shares of Ford Motor Co. slumped 2.3% in morning trade Tuesday, after the auto maker reported February U.S. vehicle sales fell 1.9% from a year ago. Total vehicle sales declined to 180,383 units from 183,947, as an 8.1% drop in car sales and a 2.3% decline in utilities sales offset a 4% rise in truck sales. Within cars, Fiesta model sales fell 23.5%, Taurus tumbled 25.1% and C-Max slid 25.7%, while Mustang sales soared 31.9%. In utilities, the biggest decliners were Edge and Flex, which dropped 40.5% and 33.4%, respectively, while Explorer sales increased 31.8%. In trucks, F-Series model sales declined 1.2% and E-Series slumped 48.2%, while Transit sales totaled 6,750 -- up from zero a year ago -- Transit Connect grew 24.6% and heavy trucks rose 18.7%. The stock has gained 1% in the past three months, while the S&P 500 has advanced 1.8%.