Ford Motor Company (F) Wheel Strategy Research
By The Pie , independent options and small-cap research
Published
The Pie is the Nickelpie research desk, not a licensed financial adviser. Nickelpie publishes educational analysis, not personalized investment advice.
| Price | $14.37 | Today | +$0.22 (+1.55%) |
| 52-week range | $10.68 - $17.78 | Position in range | 52% |
| 100 shares cost | $1,437 | Market cap | $56.3B |
Where Ford trades right now
As of July 24, 2026, Ford (F) trades at $14.37, higher on the day, sitting in the lower-middle of its one-year range of $10.68 to $17.78. At this price, 100 shares, the block you need to run the wheel, cost about $1,400, which is why Ford shows up on almost every list of beginner-friendly wheel stocks: it's a real, liquid, understandable company you can actually afford a round lot of.
Support levels worth watching
These are reference levels drawn from the one-year range and round numbers, not precise technical calls, pull up a chart and judge for yourself:
- ~$13, the nearest round-number level below the current price; a common place buyers step in.
- ~$12, a deeper support shelf if the broader market weakens.
- $10.68, the hard 52-week low. A break below this would say something has changed.
For a wheel seller, these matter because the whole game is being willing to own the shares if you're assigned. Selling a put at or below a level you'd genuinely be happy to buy Ford at is the point, not reaching for a strike closer to the money just for a fatter premium.
A cash-secured put a wheel seller might study
Applying the standard wheel framework, a cash-secured put around 0.25-0.30 delta, 21-45 days out, at a strike you'd be happy to buy at, the $13 strike lines up with round-number support and gives you an entry about 10% below today's price. It requires $1,300 of collateral (13 x 100).
If Ford stays above $13, you keep the premium and repeat. If it dips and you're assigned, your cost basis is $13 minus the premium you collected, and you move to selling covered calls above that basis. Check the live chain for the exact strike that shows the delta you want and the premium it pays, those move constantly, so we don't print them here.
You can run the numbers on any strike, premium, and expiration with our free wheel strategy calculator.
The honest risk picture
Ford is cyclical. Its fortunes track the economy, interest rates, and consumer demand for big-ticket purchases, so a recession can carry the stock toward its 52-week low, and the wheel keeps you holding the shares while it happens. Layer on the capital cost of the EV transition, tariff and supply-chain exposure, and the fact that Ford has suspended its dividend before, and the message is clear: this is a fine wheel candidate if you'd be content owning it through a rough patch, sized so one bad assignment doesn't define your year.
The put the chain supports, F
Closest to 0.25 delta between 21 and 45 days, with at least 10 contracts of open interest. Source: CBOE delayed quotes, 2026-07-25 10:40:21. Delayed data, and it will have moved.
The contract
$13.00 put
Aug 28, 2026, 35 days out, 0.23 delta
You are paid
$23
$0.23 bid × 100, against $1,300 of collateral
Yield
1.8%
over 35 days, 18% if repeated all year
Selling this put obligates you to buy 100 shares at $13.00 if F is below that on Aug 28, 2026. That strike is 9.5% below the $14.37 close, and because you keep the premium either way your effective cost if assigned is $12.77. Open interest on the contract is 500, and implied volatility is 44%.
How to read this. This is the contract nearest our published convention that also clears a liquidity floor. It is not the highest premium on the board. The fattest premium always sits on the strike most likely to be assigned, which is the opposite of what this entry is for. The annualised figure assumes the same trade repeats every cycle at the same price, which it will not, so treat it as a way to compare two expiries rather than a return you should expect. Quotes are delayed and the chain moves constantly: verify on your broker's live chain before acting. This is educational research, not advice, and not a recommendation to sell this or any option.
Insider activity, F
SEC Form 4 filings since Jul 25, 2025. Source: SEC EDGAR, pulled Jul 25, 2026.
Open-market buys
$2.18M
3 transactions, 2 insiders
Open-market sales
$0.00
0 transactions
Net open-market activity: +$2.18M. A further 271 filings were stock grants, option exercises or shares withheld to pay vesting tax. Those are not purchases or sales, so they are excluded from the totals above.
| Date | Insider | Action | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2026 | THORNTON JOHN LDirector | Bought | 10,600 | $14.05 |
| Feb 19, 2026 | FORD WILLIAM CLAY JRDirector, Executive Chair and Chair | Bought | 140,000 | $13.82 |
| Nov 14, 2025 | THORNTON JOHN LDirector | Bought | 7,520 | $13.19 |
How to read this. A purchase is the only line here that costs an insider their own money, which is why buying is the rarer and more meaningful signal. Selling is weaker evidence in either direction: insiders sell to diversify, to pay tax, or because a post-IPO lockup expired, and none of that is a view on the price. Where shares are held through a fund, the fund and its affiliated director each file the same sale, so we count matching filings once. This is disclosure history, not a prediction, and not advice.
Disclaimer. Nickelpie and its principals may buy, hold, or sell F or any security discussed at any time, and may have a position now. No one compensates us for covering F. This analysis is drawn from public information and is educational only. Ratings are impersonal opinions as of the publication date, not personalized advice, and we are not obliged to update them. Do your own research and consider your own situation and risk tolerance. See our disclosures.
Common questions
Is Ford (F) a good stock for the wheel strategy?
It's one of the more affordable liquid candidates: ~$14 means 100 shares cost about $1,400, options are liquid, and it's an understandable business. The caution: Ford is cyclical, auto demand drops in recessions, and it cut its dividend in 2020. It fits an account that could hold the shares through an auto downturn. See our wheel stock checklist.
What put strike could a wheel seller consider on Ford?
With Ford near $14.37 and a 52-week low of $10.68, a seller wanting a discounted entry near support might study the $13 strike, about 10% below the current price, just above round-number support. That cash-secured put needs $1,300 of collateral. The strike that actually shows a 0.25-0.30 delta depends on current implied volatility, so check the live chain; we don't quote minute-by-minute premiums.
What are the risks of wheeling Ford?
Mainly cyclicality and the dividend. Autos are economically sensitive, so a downturn can push Ford toward its 52-week low, and the wheel makes you hold through it. Add EV-transition costs, tariff and supply-chain exposure, and a dividend it has suspended before (2020). Size the position so a move back to the low is survivable.
More wheel research
- AT&T (T)A ~5.2% dividend and a steady $19.89-$29.79 range make AT&T a classic income-oriented wheel name at ~$2,200 per contract.
- Pfizer (PFE)Near the low end of a tight $23.11-$28.75 range with a ~6.9% dividend, a defensive wheel candidate at ~$2,500 per contract.
- eBay (EBAY)A cash-generative, lower-volatility marketplace near its highs, a quality wheel name, but ~$11,000 per contract puts it out of small-account range.
- GameStop (GME)Huge cash pile, elevated implied volatility, and a ~$2,200 contract, GME pays fat premium, and that premium is a warning as much as an opportunity.
- Amprius Technologies (AMPX)Silicon-anode battery maker near $10 with Q1 revenue up 2.5x to $28.5M and 2026 guidance of $130M+ and positive adjusted EBITDA, real growth, but volatile.
- Archer Aviation (ACHR)Pre-revenue eVTOL near $4.77 after a 19.6% jump on 4x volume on the Anduril autonomous-aircraft news. The one name here where the signal says sell calls, not puts.
- Infleqtion (INFQ)Newly public quantum pure-play near $8.97, 54% off its high. Revenue actually compounding ($10.9M to $28.8M to $33.6M) and three DOE Genesis Mission awards in July.
- Valens Semiconductor (VLN)A $187M chipmaker near $1.63 holding $78M of net cash, so 42% of the share price is cash. Real revenue of $70.7M at 62% gross margin, but still lossmaking.
- Quantum eMotion (QNC)A quantum-cybersecurity story near $2.09 with $37M of cash and a real NIST certification in progress, but only $21,753 of trailing revenue and an option chain that barely trades.
- Sidus Space (SIDU)A ~$180M space micro-cap near $2. After roughly $170M of raises, cash is close to $1.78 a share against a $1.85 price, but revenue has fallen four years running.
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