FedEx Profits Fall in Fragile Ground Business

FedEx's

ground business growth tarnished stronger-than-expected fourth quarter profits on the Tuesday morning earnings call. The transportation holding company brought in net income of $550 million, which was largely overshadowed by the fact that FedEx's express business saw average daily package volumes fall by

. While there are numerous reasons why customers may have avoided sending packages in recent months, none are more prevalent than the fact that shipping costs have increased and will

to do so as gas prices climb. FedEx is not the only traveling express mail carrier that has taken a hit following the flux in fuel cost. United Parcel Service

experienced a rough first quarter earlier this year, as profits were weak and shares fell due to slowed global exports. With difficulties posing problems for both UPS and FedEx in terms of earnings, business restructuring is becoming more and more necessary. According to UPS CEO Scott Davis, the mail carrier reached an agreement with TNT Express

in March which laid out a merger between the two companies. United Parcel Service agreed to purchase TNT Express for $6.8 billion in an effort to put itself on the map overseas as the largest European shipper. Conversely, FedEx will likely have to pull a stunt of similar magnitude in the future. "The shipper is expected to detail more of its restructuring of the express segment in October. The express business' shipping volumes and margins slipped during the recession, and lagged behind recoveries in FedEx's other businesses," Forbes reported earlier this morning. Accordingly, research firms see meaningful profitability improvement on the horizon for the company if FedEx stays on task with plans for domestic express makeover. Deutsche Bank stated yesterday that three specific areas where improvement should be made are the permanent retiring of old and inefficient aircrafts, the movement of deferred product into high margin ground network, and right-sizing the express network for more realistic volumes overall. While management hinted back in March at developing strategies that will reposition the company in a more favorable light, it appears that analysts and investors will get their way. Come fall, traders and customers can expect a FedEx restructuring that will more-than-likely combat escalating fuel costs and increase revenues. FedEx is trading around $90 today, up approximately 4% year-over-year, while UPS is trading near $78.50, up approximately 13% year-over-year.