FedEx wrings out profit as coronavirus-fuelled ecommerce deliveries surge

US delivery firm FedEx Corp reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, after price hikes, lower fuel costs and efficiency gains countered negative impacts associated with a pandemic-fueled surge in e-commerce shipments.

Shares in the Memphis-based company jumped 7.6 per cent to $254.66 in extended trading.

Average daily package volume for FedEx Ground, which handles e-commerce deliveries for retailers like Walmart, jumped 31 per cent to 11.6 million during the fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31. Revenue per package rose 2 per cent to $9.33 during the quarter, which also included one additional business day.

COVID-19 upended operations at FedEx and rival United Parcel Service. Lucrative deliveries to businesses dried up and higher-cost residential deliveries boomed as workers sheltered at home and placed online orders for everything from office furniture and exercise equipment to snacks and pet food.

Home deliveries traditionally have been more expensive because they involved fewer packages and far-flung stops. Rising volumes and investments in things like automated sorting centers and route optimization are bringing those costs down.

"Minor improvements can make a big difference whenever you're moving this many packages a day. The worst of the pressures on profitability are probably behind the company," Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold said.

FedEx spent $565 million on fuel across the company during the quarter, 35 per cent less than a year earlier.

FedEx did not provide an earnings forecast for fiscal 2021, citing continued uncertainty, but said it expects annual capital spending of $5.1 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $4.96 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Fiscal first quarter adjusted net income at FedEx jumped 60 per cent to $1.28 billion, or $4.87 per share.

Revenue rose 13.5 per cent to $19.3 billion.

Analysts expected earnings of $2.69 per share and revenue of $17.55 billion.