Columbia Trust Co 01012016 Grows Stock Holdings in FedEx Co. (NYSE:FDX)

Columbia Trust Co 01012016 boosted its position in FedEx Co. (NYSE:FDX) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,068 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Columbia Trust Co 01012016’s holdings in FedEx were worth $523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FDX. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its stake in shares of FedEx by 143.2% during the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 107 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Baystate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of FedEx by 60.2% during the 2nd quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 133 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of FedEx during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FedEx during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of FedEx by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 84.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at FedEx

In related news, VP Guy M. Erwin II sold 2,749 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.11, for a total transaction of $794,763.39. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,507.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 6,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.02, for a total transaction of $1,769,882.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,277.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Guy M. Erwin II sold 2,749 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.11, for a total transaction of $794,763.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,507.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 8.73% of the company’s stock.

FedEx Stock Performance

Shares of FedEx stock opened at $287.88 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $70.84 billion, a PE ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $248.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $252.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.31. FedEx Co. has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $291.27.

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The shipping service provider reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.49 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.95 billion. FedEx had a net margin of 5.02% and a return on equity of 16.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.41 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that FedEx Co. will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FedEx declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the shipping service provider to reacquire up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

FedEx Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $1.26 per share. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 8th. FedEx’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of FedEx from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Bank Of America (Bofa) lifted their target price on shares of FedEx from $330.00 to $334.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Melius Research upgraded shares of FedEx from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of FedEx from $310.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of FedEx from $293.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FedEx presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.07.

About FedEx

FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. It operates through FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services segments. The FedEx Express segment offers express transportation, small-package ground delivery, and freight transportation services; and time-critical transportation services.