For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 14, 2022 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas features: FedEx FDX, Amazon AMZN, and UPS UPS.
Buy This Blue-Chip Stock at a Discount Now and Hold?
FedEx stock has tumbled 33% from its May 2021 records. The shipping power has been hit by rising labor costs and global supply chain bottlenecks. Still, some of FedEx’s key fundamentals help make the blue-chip shipping stock worth considering heading into its Q3 FY22 financial release on March 17.
The Short Story
FedEx over the last several years cut ties with Amazon, modernized its automation efforts, invested heavily in optimizing its last-mile residential deliveries,all in the name of e-commerce expansion. The firm remains committed to its business-to-business segment, but e-commerce is where much of its growth will come for years.
FedEx has grown its revenue at a steady pace over the last 10 years, with the only hiccup coming in FY20 amid the initial covid shock, which only caused its sales to dip -0.7%. FedEx bounced back in a serious way in FY21 (period ended on May 31), driven by booming e-commerce and a rebounding economy.
Unfortunately, the tight labor market and various other economic setbacks added $450 million to FedEx’s costs during its August quarter (Q1 FY22). These same issues, including higher wages, increased overtime, and more, plagued the company during the three-month period ended in November. Still, FDX easily topped our adjusted earnings estimate last quarter, as higher shipping rates offset its cost. And executives said these pressures were slowly subsiding.
Other Fundamentals
FedEx posted 21% sales growth in fiscal 2021. Zacks estimates call for its FY22 (current year) revenue to climb 11% higher to $93 billion, with FY23 projected to pop an additional 3.3%. At the bottom end, its adjusted EPS soared 90% last year, with another 15% EPS growth projected this year and 12% higher in FY23.
FedEx’s FY22 and FY23 consensus estimates have climbed since its last report. FDX, which lands a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at the moment, is part of the Transportation-Air Freight and Cargo space that’s in the top third of over 250 Zacks industries. FDX will keep growing within the e-commerce age alongside Amazon and others, and it’s more vital than ever in an economy based on fast shipping of all types, from air to last-mile ground.
FedEx is currently trading at around $215 a share, or 33% below its records. The stock was due for a pullback after a huge year-long run off the covid lows and it’s still up 120% in the past two years. FDX has climbed 130% in the past decade and 270% in the last 20 years to outpace its industry and rival UPS.
Despite the overall run, FDX currently trades near its 20-year lows at 9.7X forward 12-month earnings. FedEx’s current forward earnings multiple marks a 30% discount to its industry’s current levels and 40% vs. UPS, as well as 35% compared to its 20-year median and 55% against its own highs.
Bottom Line
FedEx executives announced last quarter a new $5 billion share repurchase program. Wall Street also remains very high on FDX, with 11 of the 15 brokerage recommendations Zacks has for FDX at “Strong Buys” and nothing beneath a “Hold.”
Meanwhile, FedEx’s 1.4% dividend yield tops the S&P 500 average. Plus, its current Zacks consensus price target represents 46% upside to Friday levels. All said, investors with lengthy horizons might want to think about buying FDX right now and holding for the long haul.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS): Free Stock Analysis Report
FedEx Corporation (FDX): Free Stock Analysis Report
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