Is FedEx Actually in Trouble With China?

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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Is FedEx Actually in Trouble With China?

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A recent analyst report suggested that FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX | FDX Price Prediction) could be hurt by the trade war with China. While shares of the package delivery firm saw a bump early Tuesday, a strong start to the trading session appeared to be lifting all boats.

UBS’s Thomas Wadewitz has a Sell rating for the stock and lowered the price target to $145 from $161, implying downside of 6% from Friday’s closing price of $154.28. Note that this is the biggest bear for FedEx in recent memory.

FedEx posted revenues of roughly $65.45 billion at the end of its previous fiscal year. Consensus estimates are calling for $69.78 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year, which ended in May, though FedEx is not reporting until late June. UBS is estimating that China-related business revenue is roughly $4.5 billion, or about 6% of total revenue.

Wadewitz detailed in the report:

While it is difficult to anticipate the outcome [of China’s investigation], we believe it is reasonable to anticipate pressure on [FedEx’s] business with a portion of its China outbound customers which adds to the current backdrop of weak international airfreight activity.

[nativounit]

UBS cut its fiscal 2020 and 2021 earnings per share (EPS) estimates to $15.00 from $15.45 and $15.25 from $16.50, respectively. The consensus earnings estimates are $16.66 per share in 2020 and $18.41 per share in 2021.

Shares of FedEx were trading up 1.4% at $154.44 on last look, in a 52-week range of $150.68 to $266.67. The consensus price target is $208.48.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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