FedEx (NYSE:FDX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

FDX has been the topic of a number of other reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective on FedEx from $375.00 to $344.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of FedEx in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on FedEx from $335.00 to $269.76 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upgraded FedEx from an “overweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on FedEx from $410.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $372.41.

FedEx Trading Up 1.1%

FDX opened at $331.59 on Friday. FedEx has a one year low of $172.88 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $373.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $340.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.47.

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The shipping service provider reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.12 by $1.13. FedEx had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 4.88%.The firm had revenue of $24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that FedEx will post 19.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Tracy B. Brightman sold 16,959 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.47, for a total value of $6,164,087.73. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,017,070.44. This trade represents a 60.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 5,795 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.00, for a total value of $2,138,355.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,704,022. The trade was a 36.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 48,104 shares of company stock valued at $17,599,006 in the last three months. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of FedEx

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in FedEx by 13.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,442,049 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $5,527,870,000 after buying an additional 2,741,723 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in FedEx by 12.0% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 16,225,160 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $3,826,055,000 after buying an additional 1,742,666 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in FedEx by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,521,691 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $2,763,824,000 after buying an additional 382,848 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in FedEx by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,133,231 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $1,482,785,000 after buying an additional 318,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in FedEx by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,985,778 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $1,443,666,000 after buying an additional 45,818 shares in the last quarter. 84.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FedEx News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting FedEx this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FedEx Freight’s debut as a separate company drew fresh analyst coverage and upbeat commentary, with some observers calling it a potential “true winner” and a catalyst for value creation at FedEx. FedEx Freight Stock (FDXF) Soars on Fresh Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators said the spinoff may help FedEx streamline operations and fully launch its Network 2.0 initiative, which could improve margins and long-term earnings power. Is FedEx a Buy Following Its FedEx Freight Spinoff?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted the new breakup of FedEx as a long-awaited move that could be viewed favorably by investors looking for a cleaner, more focused company structure. Why Jim Cramer Says Newly Public FedEx Freight Stock Could Be a ‘True Winner’
• Neutral Sentiment: FedEx has recently outperformed some industrial peers, but commentary remains mixed, with valuation concerns and conflicting analyst views keeping enthusiasm in check. FedEx Stock: Is FDX Outperforming the Industrial Sector?
• Negative Sentiment: One FreightWaves report said a FedEx partner airline may face service risk on Caribbean routes without an FAA waiver, which could raise operational uncertainty for parts of the cargo network. FedEx partner airline says Caribbean service at risk without FAA waiver

About FedEx

FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) is a global logistics and courier company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by Frederick W. Smith in 1971 and beginning operations in the early 1970s, the company pioneered overnight express shipping and has since expanded into a diversified portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain services. FedEx operates an integrated air-and-ground network that moves parcels, freight and documents for businesses and consumers worldwide.

FedEx’s core operating segments include express parcel delivery via its FedEx Express division, domestic and residential parcel delivery through FedEx Ground, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, and logistics and supply-chain management solutions.