As we move out of August and into September, we've somehow completed another frantic earnings season -- a period that produced some results that were good, and others that, well, weren't so good. Looking ahead to the coming month, there's a company that will be reporting on the 20th that I believe Fools should watch closely.
The company is Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation FedEx (NYSE: FDX), the giant Memphis-based transportation, shipping, and document services company. In addition to grabbing my interest for having a Tennessean named Smith at the helm, I'm attracted to the company's expanding international presence and its solid array of metrics.
Relative to the former consideration, from my perspective the clearest trend from the most recent spate of earnings releases was that many companies (including FedEx competitor UPS (NYSE: UPS)) used international strength to overcome domestic softness. Others that experienced that phenomenon included a disparate grouping of equipment manufacturers Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) and Deere (NYSE: DE), along with oilfield services providers Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB).
Beyond that, it's my strong belief that globalization can only benefit a company like FedEx, whose very essence is delivering freight and packages. Indeed, not long ago, the company began offering next-business-day domestic express service in China. Just this week, the company announced a third U.K. route, this one between the growing Manchester market and Memphis.
FedEx sports a number of intriguing metrics, including a forward 2008 P/E of 14 times. Combining the reasonable price multiples and a five-year growth estimate of 14.3% from the analyst community, you're looking at a PEG ratio near 1. Finally, its balance sheet would make a CEO at a far less capital-intensive company extremely proud.
So there you have it. I personally will be tuned in three weeks from now to catch up with FedEx and do what I can to further assess its prospects. I hope a number of my Foolish friends will join me.
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Fool contributor David Lee Smith doesn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned. He does welcome your comments. The Motley Fool delivers on its strong disclosure policy.
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