FedEx (NYSE:FDX) (+12%; +1.00%), one of the world’s largest package delivery networks, contributed in the quarter. The company continued its excellent earnings momentum, driven currently by revenue strength and margin gains in the Express segment. The Ground segment revenues stayed incredibly strong, although margins were down as the company invested heavily in growth. We believe that the company is close to a point where Ground margins turn around and begin to grow as the large scale investment in new hubs slows. The company also communicated that the integration of its TNT acquisition from last year is going well, providing future earnings upside even though for now, TNT results are dilutive. Some of the investor panic around Amazon hurting FedEx as a competitor has also begun to subside, for logical reasons related to FedEx’s physical scale and last mile density. FedEx is heavily weighted as the Fund’s second largest position, reflecting our confidence in CEO Fred Smith and his team, as well as in FedEx’s competitive strength and long-term value growth. We did trim our stake in the quarter, however, following the stock’s appreciation.
From Longleaf Partners' 2nd quarter 2017 shareholder letter.
