While having a large number of shares outstanding can provide a startup with various benefits such as increased liquidity and access to capital, it can also come with risks such as dilution, shareholder disputes, and takeover threats.
Ford is mainly owned by institutional investors, who own around 60% of shares. The largest shareholders in December 2023 were: The Vanguard Group (8.71%) BlackRock (7.20%)
Ford Motor Company is a publicly-traded company. Anyone can buy shares of Ford directly through their brokerage account. The vehicle manufacturer trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker "F."
The potential for disappointing shareholders returns, supported by weak growth prospects and subpar profitability metrics, means that Ford stock isn't a smart investment to make right now.
To be fair, it wouldn't be prudent to expect Ford to reach $100 anytime soon, and even Toyota Motors (TM) - which is the most valuable legacy automaker - has a market cap below $300 billion. Another analogy, however, could be the comparison with Tesla (TSLA), which currently has a market cap of around $700 billion.