FedEx (FDX, Financial) (76%, 3.69%; 3%, 0.29%), the global logistics company, was the top contributor in 2020 after an outstanding year for the business that wasn't simply the result of COVID, even if the company has been a strong beneficiary of the rapid societal changes driven by it. The share price returned over 85% in the last six months. Over the last quarter, Ground revenues increased 38%, while operating income grew 61%, despite another round of heavy investments weighing down margins temporarily into the single-digits. The company is indispensable for the United States' e-commerce deliveries and is reaping the rewards of its investments in previous years to gear up for 7-day delivery. The Express segment is still benefitting from fewer passenger flights diminishing competing underbelly capacity. Despite the sharp appreciation, the stock trades at a reasonable mid-teens P/E multiple on forward earnings, and we expect the value to grow double-digits annually from here. FedEx has done its part to give back this year in the face of COVID. Since the onset of the pandemic, FedEx has delivered more than 55 kilotons of personal protective equipment, including more than two billion face masks, and more than 9,600 humanitarian aid shipments around the globe. More recently, FedEx was tapped to deliver the first wave of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines across the US, and its infrastructure will be critical to successfully disseminating the vaccines.
From Mason Hawkins (Trades, Portfolio)' Longleaf Partners Fund fourth-quarter 2020 commentary.
