Showdown: How GM, Ford Compare In Q4 Sales, Earnings

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) posted a bottom-line beat Tuesday, with its $1.65 earnings per share figure 20 percent above estimates and 21 percent over 2016’s comparable period.

Those metrics compounded a best-ever fourth quarter in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes — $3.1 billion, a rate up 18.7 percent from last year.

“Improvements in all operating segments and an intense focus on cost reductions generated a record quarter and another record year,” CFO Chuck Stevens said in the GM earnings release.

That’s more than Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) could say. The crosstown rival’s Q4 report nearly two weeks ago showed a 7-percent EPS miss in spite of a 333-percent year-over-year gain.

Ford came out a winner in at least two metrics. The automaker posted positive sales growth in October, November and December, while GM saw consistent year-over-year declines. At the same time, Ford’s $38.5 billion in revenue far surpassed GM’s $37.715 billion.

“Our balance sheet remains strong and we are focused on improving the company’s fitness to strengthen future results,” CFO Bob Shanks said in Ford’s earnings release.

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