FedEx lifts dividend

Article Excerpt

FEDEX CORP. $157 (New York symbol FDX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 268.4 million; Market cap: $42.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.fedex.com) delivers packages in the U.S. and 220 other countries. The company has now completed its acquisition of TNT Express NV, a Netherlands-based courier that operates across Europe. The deal makes FedEx the second-largest courier in Europe after United Parcel Service. If you exclude costs related to this purchase and other unusual items, the company earned $3.0 billion in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2016. That’s up 17.3% from $2.6 billion in 2015. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 20.7%, to $10.80 from $8.95. FedEx continues to benefit from falling fuel prices: in 2016, these expenses dropped 35.5%. Revenue for the year rose 6.1%, to $50.4 billion from $47.6 billion. Revenue from the company’s ground delivery business jumped 27.6% following an acquisition. That more than offset a..