FedEx Corporation
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data from SEC XBRL filings. Values are as-reported; restatements supersede originals. Values reported in .
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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION
GENERAL
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition (“MD&A”) describes the principal factors affecting the results of operations, liquidity, capital resources, and critical accounting estimates of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”). This discussion should be read in conjunction with the accompanying quarterly unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2025 (“Annual Report”). Our Annual Report includes additional information about our significant accounting policies, practices, and the transactions that underlie our financial results, as well as a detailed discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties associated with our financial condition and operating results.
We provide a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services, offering integrated business solutions utilizing our flexible, efficient, and intelligent global network. Our primary operating companies are Federal Express Corporation (“Federal Express”), the world’s largest express transportation company and a leading North American provider of small-package ground delivery services, and FedEx Freight, Inc. (“FedEx Freight”), a leading North American provider of less-than-truckload (“LTL”) freight transportation services. See “Reportable Segments” for further discussion. Additional information on our businesses can be found in our Annual Report.
Federal Express operates a unified, fully integrated air-ground express network under the respected FedEx brand. FedEx Freight provides LTL freight transportation services as a separate subsidiary. Federal Express and FedEx Freight represent our major service lines and constitute our reportable segments.
In December 2024, we announced that FedEx’s Board of Directors decided to pursue a full separation of FedEx Freight through the capital markets, creating a new publicly traded company. The transaction, which will be implemented through the spin-off of shares of the new company to FedEx stockholders, is expected to be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes for FedEx stockholders and be completed by June 1, 2026.
In January 2025, the Board of Directors approved a change in FedEx’s fiscal year end from May 31 to December 31. The planned fiscal year change is expected to be effective June 1, 2026.
Except as otherwise specified, references to years indicate our fiscal year ending May 31, 2026 or ended May 31 of the year referenced, and comparisons are to the corresponding period of the prior year. References to our transportation segments include, collectively, the Federal Express segment and the FedEx Freight segment.
The key indicators necessary to understand our operating results include:
•the overall customer demand for our various services based on macroeconomic factors and the global economy;
•the volumes of transportation services provided through our networks, primarily measured by our average daily volume and shipment weight and size;
•the mix of services purchased by our customers;
•the prices we obtain for our services, primarily measured by yield (revenue per package or pound, revenue per shipment, or hundredweight for LTL freight shipments);
•our ability to manage our cost structure (capital expenditures and operating expenses) to match shifting volume levels; and
•the timing and amount of fluctuations in fuel prices and our ability to recover incremental fuel costs through our fuel surcharges.
Trends Affecting Our Business
The following trends significantly affect the indicators discussed above, as well as our business and operating results. See the risk factors identified under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report, as updated by our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, for more information. Additionally, see “Results of Operations – Consolidated Results – Separation and Other Costs – Business Optimization Costs and – Outlook” and “Financial Condition – Liquidity Outlook” below for additional information on efforts we are taking to mitigate adverse trends.
Macroeconomic Conditions
While macroeconomic risks apply to most companies, we are particularly vulnerable. The transportation industry is highly cyclical and especially susceptible to trends in economic activity. Our primary business is to transport goods, so our business levels are directly
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tied to the purchase and production of goods and the rate of global trade growth. The decline in U.S. imports of consumer goods that started in late 2022, along with slowed global industrial production, has contributed to weakened business conditions for the transportation industry. Consequently, this environment has led to lower shipments at FedEx Freight, negatively affecting our results in the third quarter and nine months of 2026.
Global Trade Policies
Since the third quarter of 2025 there have been significant changes within the global trade environment, such as the August 2025 removal of the de minimis exemption for goods imported into the U.S. from countries other than China. The uncertain and evolving global trade environment negatively affected our results in the third quarter and nine months of 2026.
Additionally, on February 20, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision invalidating tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, new Executive Orders were announced aimed at restructuring U.S. tariff policy and exploring alternative statutory authorities under which to impose or maintain tariffs. These actions have contributed to continued uncertainty and volatility in the global trade environment. The financial impact of this ruling is uncertain, as it is unclear to what extent duties will be refunded by CBP, what processes will govern such refunds, or if we can fully collect related accounts receivable. We are evaluating the impact of these developments on our business and financial statements. However, at this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the financial impact, and no adjustments have been recorded. See “Other Business Matters” below for information on related litigation.
MD-11 Operational Impact
In November 2025, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive to address a potentially unsafe condition on all Boeing MD-11 aircraft, prohibiting further flight until the aircraft are inspected and all corrective actions are performed. As a result, during the third quarter and nine months of 2026, we experienced operational impacts related to the grounding of our MD-11 aircraft fleet which had an impact on our financial results.
Inflation and Interest Rates
During the third quarter and nine months of 2026, global inflation declined year-over-year but continued to be elevated. Additionally, global interest rates declined modestly in an effort to curb inflation. We are experiencing pressure on demand for our transportation services, particularly our international export package services, as elevated inflation and interest rates continue to negatively affect consumer and business spending. We expect inflation and elevated interest rates to continue to negatively affect our results of operations for the remainder of 2026. Additional changes in trade policy and the global trade environment could also exacerbate global inflation and interest rates.
Fuel
We must purchase large quantities of fuel to operate our aircraft and vehicles, and the price and availability of fuel is beyond our control and can be highly volatile. The timing and amount of fluctuations in fuel prices and our ability to recover incremental fuel costs through our fuel surcharges can significantly affect our operating results either positively or negatively in the short-term. During the third quarter and nine months of 2026, higher fuel prices positively affected yields due to increased fuel surcharges and negatively affected fuel expense at Federal Express.
Geopolitical Conflicts
Given the nature of our business and global operations, geopolitical conflicts and instability may adversely affect our business and results of operations. While we do not expect ongoing geopolitical conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, or escalations or expansions thereof, to have a direct material effect on our business or results of operations, the broader consequences, including increased fuel prices and volatility in shipping patterns, are adversely affecting the global economy and may also have the effect of heightening other risks disclosed under Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”
Other Business Matters
Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on February 20, 2026 that certain tariffs imposed under the IEEPA were unlawful, on February 23, 2026, FedEx filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade against the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), the CBP commissioner, and the United States of America seeking a full refund of all IEEPA tariffs that FedEx has paid to the United States.
Additionally, five class action lawsuits seeking refunds of IEEPA tariffs from FedEx were filed in U.S. district courts in South Carolina, Florida, New York, Tennessee, and Delaware.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Many of our operating expenses are directly affected by revenue and volume levels, and we expect these operating expenses to fluctuate on a year-over-year basis consistent with changes in revenue and volumes. Therefore, the discussion of operating expense captions focuses on the key drivers and trends affecting expenses other than those factors strictly related to changes in revenue and volumes. The line item “Other” includes costs associated with outside service contracts (such as information technology services, facilities services, security, and temporary labor), insurance, professional fees, and credit losses.
CONSOLIDATED RESULTS
The following tables compare summary operating results and changes in revenue and operating income (loss) (dollars in millions, except per share amounts) for the periods ended February 28, 2026 and 2025:
| Three Months Ended | Percent | Nine Months Ended | Percent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | Change | 2026 | 2025 | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 24,000 | $ | 22,160 | 8 | $ | 69,713 | $ | 65,706 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss): | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal Express segment | 1,572 | 1,294 | 21 | 4,261 | 3,299 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FedEx Freight segment | 8 | 261 | (97) | 458 | 1,012 | (55) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate, other, and eliminations | (232) | (263) | 12 | (807) | (887) | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated operating income | $ | 1,348 | $ | 1,292 | 4 | $ | 3,912 | $ | 3,424 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating margin: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal Express segment | 7.4 | % | 6.7 | % | 70 | bp | 7.0 | % | 5.9 | % | 110 | bp | ||||||||||||||||||||
| FedEx Freight segment | 0.4 | % | 12.5 | % | (1,210) | bp | 7.2 | % | 15.3 | % | (810) | bp | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated operating margin | 5.6 | % | 5.8 | % | (20) | bp | 5.6 | % | 5.2 | % | 40 | bp | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated net income | $ | 1,056 | $ | 909 | 16 | $ | 2,836 | $ | 2,444 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | $ | 4.41 | $ | 3.76 | 17 | $ | 11.91 | $ | 9.99 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Year-over-Year Changes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | Operating Income (Loss) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal Express segment | $ | 1,973 | $ | 4,376 | $ | 278 | $ | 962 | |||||||||||||||
| FedEx Freight segment | (98) | (208) | (253) | (554) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate, other, and eliminations | (35) | (161) | 31 | 80 | |||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 1,840 | $ | 4,007 | $ | 56 | $ | 488 | ||||||||||||||||
Overview
Operating income increased 4% in the third quarter and 14% in the nine months of 2026 primarily due to higher yields for our U.S. domestic and international priority package services, continued structural cost reductions from business optimization initiatives, including from DRIVE initiatives commenced in prior years, and increased U.S. domestic package demand at Federal Express. Operating income for the third quarter and nine months of 2026 was negatively affected by higher salaries and employee benefit expense, the financial impact of global trade policy changes, increased costs related to the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight, higher purchased transportation rates, and the grounding of our MD-11 fleet. The increase in salaries and employee benefits was primarily driven by higher variable incentive compensation, wage rates, and employee benefit expenses.
Operating income includes separation and other costs of $202 million in the third quarter and $460 million in the nine months of 2026. These costs are related to the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight and fiscal year change and are primarily related to professional services and an employee incentive plan. In the third quarter of 2025, we incurred $23 million of costs related to the planned spin-off, consisting of $18 million included in other, net, related to a debt exchange offer and consent solicitation transaction and $5 million of professional fees included in separation and other costs. See the “Separation and other costs” section of this MD&A for more information.
Operating income includes business optimization expenses of $65 million in the third quarter and $162 million in the nine months of 2026 related to ongoing network optimization through Network 2.0, international operational transformation initiatives, and structural and overhead cost‑reduction initiatives under our DRIVE program commenced in prior years. We incurred business optimization costs
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of $179 million in the third quarter and $633 million in the nine months of 2025 related to our transformation initiatives. See the “Business Optimization Costs” section of this MD&A for more information.
During the nine-month period ended February 28, 2026, we repurchased 3.3 million shares of FedEx common stock through open market transactions at an average price of $233.07 per share for a total of $776 million. We did not repurchase common stock in the three-month period ended February 28, 2026. Share repurchases had a benefit of $0.12 per diluted share for the first nine months of 2026. As of February 28, 2026, $1.3 billion remained available to be used for repurchases under the stock repurchase program approved by our Board of Directors in 2024. See Note 1 of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, “Financial Condition – Liquidity and – Liquidity Outlook” below, and Part II, Item 2. “Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds” of this Form 10-Q for additional information.
The following graphs for Federal Express and FedEx Freight show selected volume trends (in thousands) calculated on a 5-day-per-week basis over the five most recent quarters:
(1)International domestic average daily package volume relates to our international intra-country operations. International export average daily package volume relates to our international priority and economy services.
(2)International average daily freight pounds relate to our international priority and economy services.
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The following graphs for Federal Express and FedEx Freight show selected yield trends over the five most recent quarters:
(1)International export revenue per package relates to our international priority and economy services. International domestic revenue per package relates to our international intra-country operations.
(2)International freight revenue per pound relates to our international priority and economy services.
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Revenue
Revenue increased 8% in the third quarter and 6% in the nine months of 2026 primarily due to U.S. domestic and international priority base yield improvements, increased U.S domestic package volume, and favorable exchange rates at Federal Express, partially offset by lower shipments at FedEx Freight and decreased fuel surcharges at Federal Express.
Federal Express segment revenue increased 10% in the third quarter and 8% in the nine months of 2026 primarily due to higher U.S. domestic and international priority package base yields, increased U.S. domestic package volumes, and favorable exchange rates, partially offset by the negative impacts from global trade policy changes and lower fuel surcharges.
FedEx Freight segment revenue decreased 5% in the third quarter and 3% in the first nine months of 2026 primarily due to lower volume resulting from macroeconomic conditions, partially offset by increased weight per shipment.
Revenue at Corporate, other, and eliminations decreased in the first nine months of 2026 primarily due to lower demand at FedEx Logistics, Inc. (“FedEx Logistics”).
Operating Expenses
The following table compares operating expenses expressed as dollar amounts (in millions) and as a percent of revenue for the periods ended February 28, 2026 and 2025:
| Three Months Ended | Percent | Nine Months Ended | Percent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | Change | 2026 | 2025 | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salaries and employee benefits | $ | 8,819 | $ | 7,879 | 12 | $ | 25,276 | $ | 23,543 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purchased transportation | 6,084 | 5,634 | 8 | 17,457 | 16,409 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rentals and landing fees | 1,235 | 1,178 | 5 | 3,638 | 3,507 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 1,112 | 1,066 | 4 | 3,272 | 3,207 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuel | 856 | 889 | (4) | 2,618 | 2,911 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maintenance and repairs | 771 | 783 | (2) | 2,503 | 2,443 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Separation and other costs | 202 | 5 | NM | 460 | 5 | NM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business optimization costs | 65 | 179 | (64) | 162 | 633 | (74) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 3,508 | 3,255 | 8 | 10,415 | 9,624 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 22,652 | 20,868 | 9 | 65,801 | 62,282 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | $ | 1,348 | $ | 1,292 | 4 | $ | 3,912 | $ | 3,424 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Percent of Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salaries and employee benefits | 36.7 | % | 35.6 | % | 36.3 | % | 35.8 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purchased transportation | 25.4 | 25.4 | 25.0 | 25.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rentals and landing fees | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuel | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maintenance and repairs | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Separation and other costs | 0.8 | — | 0.7 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business optimization costs | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 14.6 | 14.7 | 14.9 | 14.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 94.4 | 94.2 | 94.4 | 94.8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating margin | 5.6 | % | 5.8 | % | 5.6 | % | 5.2 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salaries and employee benefits expense increased 12% in the third quarter and 7% in the nine months of 2026 primarily driven by higher variable incentive compensation, wage rates, and employee benefit expenses, and unfavorable exchange rate impacts. Purchased transportation expense increased 8% in the third quarter and 6% in the nine months of 2026 primarily due to volume-related costs to support higher package volume and contracted service provider rates. Other operating expenses increased 8% in the third
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quarter and 8% in the nine months of 2026 primarily due to higher outside service contracts and professional fees, increased credit losses, and unfavorable exchange rates.
Separation and Other Costs
FedEx Freight separation
We incurred costs related to the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight of $195 million ($147 million, net of tax, or $0.61 per diluted share) in the third quarter of 2026 and $443 million ($351 million, net of tax, or $1.47 per diluted share) in the nine months of 2026. These costs primarily consist of professional services and an employee incentive plan related to the planned spin-off. Separation costs of $194 million and $440 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 28, 2026, respectively, are included within the “Separation and other costs” caption and separation costs of $1 million and $3 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 28, 2026, respectively, are included in the “Other, net” caption of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. These costs are included in FedEx Freight; Corporate, other, and eliminations; and Federal Express. In the third quarter of 2025, we incurred $23 million ($17 million, net of tax, or $0.07 per diluted share) of costs related to the planned spin-off, consisting of $18 million included in the “Other, net” caption, related to the debt exchange offer and consent solicitation transactions and $5 million of professional fees included in the “Separation and other costs” caption. Costs included in the “Separation and other costs” caption for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 28, 2025 were reclassified from the “Other” caption to conform to the current period presentation. This change had no impact on total operating income or net income. These costs are included in Corporate, other, and eliminations. Additionally, “Separation and other costs, net of payments” of $4 million were reclassified from “Changes in assets and liabilities: Accounts payable and other liabilities” in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine-month period ended February 28, 2025.
Fiscal year change
We incurred costs related to the fiscal year change of $8 million ($6 million, net of tax, or $0.02 per diluted share) in the third quarter of 2026 and $20 million ($15 million, net of tax, or $0.06 per diluted share) in the nine months of 2026. These costs were primarily related to professional fees and are included in Federal Express and Corporate, other, and eliminations. We did not incur any fiscal year change costs in the nine months of 2025.
Business Optimization Costs
Our business optimization costs relate to transformation initiatives aimed to improve long-term profitability, drive efficiency within and between our transportation segments, lower our overhead and support costs, and transform our digital capabilities. Costs included in the “Business optimization costs” caption of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income relate to our Network 2.0 program, our international operational transformation programs, our DRIVE initiatives commenced in prior years, and the Europe workforce reduction plan announced in June 2024.
We incurred business optimization costs of $65 million ($49 million, net of tax, or $0.21 per diluted share) in the third quarter and $162 million ($126 million, net of tax, or $0.53 per diluted share) in the nine months of 2026. These costs were primarily related to professional services, incentive payments to our contracted service providers in support of Network 2.0, and severance and are included in Federal Express and Corporate, other, and eliminations. We incurred business optimization costs of $179 million ($137 million, net of tax, or $0.56 per diluted share) in the third quarter and $633 million ($484 million, net of tax, or $1.98 per diluted share) in the nine months of 2025. These costs were primarily related to professional services and severance and are included in Federal Express and Corporate, other, and eliminations.
Network 2.0
Network 2.0 is our multi-year effort to improve the efficiency with which FedEx picks up, transports, and delivers packages in the U.S. and Canada. Through Network 2.0, we continue to consolidate our sortation facilities and equipment, reduce pickup-and-delivery routes, and optimize our enterprise linehaul network by moving beyond discrete collaboration to an end-to-end optimized network. We have implemented Network 2.0 optimization in approximately 390 locations in the U.S. and Canada as of February 28, 2026. Service providers will handle the pickup and delivery of Federal Express packages in some locations while employee couriers will handle others. We completed Canada’s implementation of Network 2.0 in the fourth quarter of 2025 and expect to complete the U.S. implementation by the end of calendar 2027.
International operational transformation programs
In January 2026, FedEx initiated operational transformation programs in certain international locations designed to modernize, streamline, and optimize international domestic operations. These transformation programs may reduce approximately 5,000 operational employees, as well as changing working locations and schedules for up to 800 operational employees and is expected to occur over approximately 18 months, subject to required consultation processes in accordance with local regulations.
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We expect the combined pre‑tax costs of severance benefits, legal and professional fees, and facilities‑related exit costs to range from $225 million to $325 million, substantially all of which are cash expenditures. These charges are expected to be incurred through calendar year 2028 and will be recorded as business optimization expenses. In the third quarter of 2026, we incurred $16 million of costs related to this program. The timing and amount of our business optimization expenses and the related cost savings associated with this operational transformation program are dependent on local country consultation processes and regulations and negotiation social plans and may change as we revise and implement our plans.
Europe workforce reduction plan
Our workforce reduction plan in Europe to reduce structural costs announced in June 2024 is substantially complete as of February 28, 2026. The plan occurred over an 18-month period in accordance with local country processes and regulations and impacted approximately 1,400 employees across back-office and commercial functions. We expect savings from the plan to be approximately $150 million on an annualized basis beginning in calendar 2026.
We expect the pre-tax cost of the severance benefits and legal and professional fees to be provided under and related to the plan to be approximately $250 million in cash expenditures. These activities have been recorded as business optimization expenses. In the third quarter of 2026 and 2025, we incurred $2 million and $44 million, respectively, of costs related to this plan. In addition, in the nine months of 2026 and 2025, we incurred $11 million and $220 million, respectively. The timing and amount of our business optimization expenses and the related cost savings from the workforce reduction plan may change as we revise and implement our plans.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate was 16.4% for the third quarter and 23.1% for the nine months of 2026 compared to 23.0% for the third quarter and 24.1% for the nine months of 2025. The third quarter 2026 tax rate is lower than the third quarter 2025 tax rate due to the inclusion of incremental favorable one-time tax benefits, which includes $99 million from the reduction of a valuation allowance on certain foreign tax loss carryforwards due to operational changes which impacted the determination of the realizability of the deferred tax asset in that jurisdiction.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law. Certain provisions within the act are interdependent and have implications for both the effective tax rate and cash taxes.
We are subject to taxation in the U.S. and various U.S. state, local, and foreign jurisdictions. We are currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service for the 2016 through 2021 tax years. It is reasonably possible that certain income tax return proceedings will be completed during the next 12 months and could result in a change in our balance of unrecognized tax benefits. However, we believe we have recorded adequate amounts of tax, including interest and penalties, for any adjustments expected to occur.
During 2021, we filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee challenging the validity of a tax regulation related to the one-time transition tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings, which was enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”). Our lawsuit sought to have the court declare this regulation invalid and order the refund of overpayments of U.S. federal income taxes for 2018 and 2019 attributable to the denial of foreign tax credits under the regulation. We have recorded a cumulative benefit of $249 million attributable to our interpretation of the TCJA and the Internal Revenue Code. In March 2023, the District Court ruled that the regulation is invalid and contradicts the plain terms of the tax code. On February 13, 2025, the District Court ruled again in our favor with regard to a new argument raised by the U.S. government. On June 4, 2025, the District Court validated the amount of refunds owed for 2018 and 2019, which includes the foreign tax credits previously denied.
On August 1, 2025, the U.S. government filed a notice to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The government filed its opening appellant brief on January 7, 2026 and our response is due March 23, 2026. If we are ultimately unsuccessful in defending our position, we may be required to reverse the benefit previously recorded.
Outlook
Based on current trends, we expect revenue growth to continue into the remainder of 2026, driven by U.S. Domestic service offerings. We expect international revenue to remain pressured as the current trade and geopolitical environment remains highly uncertain, including recent escalation in the Middle East, which continued to increase fuel prices and drive high volatility in shipping patterns globally. In addition, softness in the industrial economy is expected to continue pressuring demand for our Freight LTL services.
We continue to execute on our revenue quality strategy through surcharge management and optimizing our customer and service mix, and aligning our cost base with demand. We will also continue our focus on business optimization, where we are on track to achieve an incremental $1.0 billion in structural cost reduction benefits from DRIVE and Network 2.0 in 2026.
See the “Business Optimization Costs” section of this MD&A for additional information on our transformation initiatives, including our Network 2.0 program and workforce reduction plan in Europe.
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Our capital expenditures for 2026 are now expected to be approximately $4.1 billion, consistent with 2025 levels. Aircraft spend is expected to decline to approximately $1.0 billion, $0.3 billion lower than 2025. This reduction will be offset by an increase of $0.3 billion to support ongoing Network 2.0 initiatives, as well as modernization of global facilities and package handling equipment.
We will continue to evaluate our investments in critical long-term strategic projects to ensure our capital expenditures are expected to generate high returns on investment and are balanced with our outlook for global economic conditions. For additional details on key 2026 capital projects, refer to the “Financial Condition – Capital Resources” and “Financial Condition – Liquidity Outlook” sections of this MD&A.
The uncertainty of a slowdown in the global economy, global inflation, geopolitical challenges including recent escalation in the Middle East, developments in international trade, and the effects these factors will have on the rate of growth of global trade, supply chains, fuel prices, and our business in particular, make any expectations for the remainder of 2026 inherently less certain. See Part I “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report for more information.
See the “Trends Affecting Our Business,” “Critical Accounting Estimates,” and “Forward-Looking Statements” sections of this MD&A for additional information.
RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE
See Note 1 of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting guidance.
REPORTABLE SEGMENTS
Federal Express and FedEx Freight represent our major service lines and constitute our reportable segments. Our reportable segments include the following businesses:
Federal Express Segment | Federal Express (express transportation, small-package ground delivery, and freight transportation) | ||||
| FedEx Freight Segment | FedEx Freight (LTL freight transportation) FedEx Custom Critical, Inc. (time-critical transportation) |
The Federal Express segment operates combined sales, marketing, administrative, and information-technology functions in shared service operations for U.S. customers of our major business units and certain back-office support to FedEx Freight and our other operating segments which allows us to obtain synergies from the combination of these functions. We allocate the net operating costs of these services to reflect the full cost of operating our businesses in the results of those segments. We review and evaluate the performance of FedEx Freight and our other operating segments based on operating income inclusive of these allocations.
Operating expenses for our FedEx Freight segment include allocations of these services from the Federal Express segment. These allocations also include charges and credits for administrative services provided between operating companies. The allocations of net operating costs are based on metrics such as relative revenue or estimated services provided. We believe these allocations approximate the net cost of providing these functions. Our allocation methodologies are refined periodically, as necessary, to reflect changes in our businesses.
CORPORATE, OTHER, AND ELIMINATIONS
Corporate and other includes corporate headquarters costs for executive officers and certain legal and finance functions, certain other costs and credits not attributed to our core business, and certain costs associated with developing integrated business solutions through our FedEx Dataworks, Inc. (“FedEx Dataworks”) operating segment. FedEx Dataworks is focused on creating new digital revenue streams using proven FedEx intelligence to digitize supply chains and create new opportunities for our customers and team members.
Also included in Corporate and other are the FedEx Office and Print Services, Inc. (“FedEx Office”) operating segment, which provides an array of document and business services and retail access to our customers for our package transportation businesses, and the FedEx Logistics operating segment, which provides integrated supply chain management solutions, specialty transportation, customs brokerage, and global ocean and air freight forwarding.
The results of Corporate, other, and eliminations are not allocated to the other business segments.
Operating results in Corporate, other, and eliminations improved in the third quarter and nine months of 2026 reflecting lower business optimization costs at corporate headquarters and FedEx Dataworks, and decreased purchased transportation at FedEx Logistics.
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Certain FedEx operating companies provide transportation and related services for other FedEx companies outside their reportable segment in order to optimize our resources. For example, during the third quarter of 2026 FedEx Freight provided road and intermodal support for Federal Express. In addition, Federal Express works with FedEx Logistics to secure air charters and other cargo space for U.S. customers. Billings for such services are based on negotiated rates and are reflected as revenue of the billing segment. These rates are adjusted from time to time based on market conditions. Such intersegment revenue and expenses are eliminated in our consolidated results and are not separately identified in the following segment information because the amounts are not material.
FEDERAL EXPRESS SEGMENT
Federal Express offers a wide range of U.S. domestic and international shipping services for delivery of packages and freight including priority, deferred, and economy services, which provide delivery on a time-definite or day-definite basis. The following table compares revenue, operating expenses, operating income (dollars in millions), operating margin, and operating expenses as a percent of revenue for the periods ended February 28, 2026 and 2025:
Recent insider activity
| Date | Insider | Role | Action | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-15 | SCHWAB SUSAN C | Director | Sell | -5,795 | $369.00 | -$2,138,355 |
| 2026-04-15 | Brightman Tracy B | EVP - Chief People Officer | Sell | -16,959 ×3 | $363.47 | -$6,164,156 |
| 2026-04-14 | ADAMS GINA F. | EVP GENL COUNSEL/SECTY | Sell | -20,450 ×2 | $366.45 | -$7,493,856 |
| 2026-04-14 | Carere Brie | EVP/Chief Customer Officer | Sell | -2,700 | $370.03 | -$999,068 |
| 2026-04-14 | Preet Kawal | EVP - Plng, Eng, & Transfmtn | Sell | -4,900 | $367.89 | -$1,802,661 |
Source: SEC Form 4 filings.
Next expected filings
- ~2026-07-20 10-K expected by 2026-08-02 (in 44 days)
- ~2026-09-17 10-Q expected by 2026-10-08 (in 103 days)
- ~2026-12-17 10-Q expected by 2027-01-07 (in 194 days)
- ~2027-03-18 10-Q expected by 2027-04-08 (in 285 days)
Predicted from historical filing cadence; not an SEC commitment.
Recent SEC filings
- 2026-06-01 8-K Material Agreement Entered; Completion of Acquisition/Disposition; Officer/Director Change; Other Events; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-05-22 8-K Other Events
- 2026-05-18 8-K Officer/Director Change
- 2026-05-13 8-K Other Events; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-05-08 8-K/A Officer/Director Change; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-04-13 8-K Officer/Director Change
- 2026-03-19 10-Q Quarterly Report
- 2026-03-19 8-K Earnings Release; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-03-12 8-K Officer/Director Change
- 2026-02-09 8-K Other Events
- 2026-02-05 8-K Material Financial Obligation; Other Events; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-01-29 8-K Costs Associated with Exit; Officer/Director Change; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2026-01-16 8-K Material Agreement Entered; Material Financial Obligation; Officer/Director Change; Financial Statements and Exhibits
- 2025-12-18 10-Q Quarterly Report
- 2025-12-18 8-K Earnings Release; Financial Statements and Exhibits