3 Reasons to Avoid FDX and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
What a time it’s been for FedEx. In the past six months alone, the company’s stock price has increased by a massive 51.3%, reaching $363.01 per share. This was partly thanks to its solid quarterly results, and the run-up might have investors contemplating their next move.
Is now the time to buy FedEx, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? Dive into our full research report to see our analyst team’s opinion, it’s free.
Why Do We Think FedEx Will Underperform?
Despite the momentum, we don't have much confidence in FedEx. Here are three reasons why FDX doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own.
1. Long-Term Revenue Growth Disappoints
Reviewing a company’s long-term sales performance reveals insights into its quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but the best consistently grow over the long haul. Regrettably, FedEx’s sales grew at a sluggish 3.1% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years. This fell short of our benchmark for the industrials sector.
2. Mediocre Free Cash Flow Margin Limits Reinvestment Potential
If you’ve followed StockStory for a while, you know we emphasize free cash flow. Why, you ask? We believe that in the end, cash is king, and you can’t use accounting profits to pay the bills.
FedEx has shown poor cash profitability relative to peers over the last five years, giving the company fewer opportunities to return capital to shareholders. Its free cash flow margin averaged 2.4%, below what we’d expect for an industrials business.
3. New Investments Fail to Bear Fruit as ROIC Declines
We like to invest in businesses with high returns, but the trend in a company’s ROIC is what often surprises the market and moves the stock price. Over the last few years, FedEx’s ROIC averaged 3.7 percentage point decreases each year. Paired with its already low returns, these declines suggest its profitable growth opportunities are few and far between.
Final Judgment
FedEx falls short of our quality standards. After the recent surge, the stock trades at 17.1× forward P/E (or $363.01 per share). While this valuation is reasonable, we don’t see a big opportunity at the moment. There are better investments elsewhere. We’d suggest looking at a top digital advertising platform riding the creator economy.
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