UPS Earnings Growth Continues

1st Quarter Earnings Climb 24%; Guidance for Record EPS in 2011 Raised

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced diluted earnings per share of $0.88 for the first quarter of 2011, a 24% improvement over the adjusted $0.71 for the prior-year period. Global revenue grew 7.3%, producing a 21% increase in operating profit to $1.4 billion.

On a reported basis, diluted earnings per share and operating profit increased 66% and 37%, respectively, over the same period last year.

"UPS produced strong first quarter results despite rapidly rising fuel costs and challenging weather conditions," said Scott Davis, UPS chairman and CEO. "Once again we demonstrated the strength of our global portfolio and ability of our integrated operating model to further expand margins."

Based on the company's performance, UPS has increased its guidance for 2011 diluted earnings per share to a range of $4.15-to-$4.40, an increase of 17-to-24% over 2010 adjusted results.


                                                    Adjusted

Consolidated Results        1Q 2011     1Q 2010     1Q 2010

Revenue                     $ 12.58 B   $ 11.73 B

Operating profit            $ 1.43  B   $ 1.04  B   $ 1.18   B

Operating margin              11.3  %     8.9   %     10.0   %

Average volume per day        15.0  M     14.9  M

Diluted earnings per share  $ 0.88      $ 0.53      $ 0.71



For the three months ended March 31, 2011, UPS delivered 957 million packages and expanded its operating margin by 130 basis points to 11.3%. On a reported basis, operating margin improved 240 basis points over the prior-year period.

In the first quarter of 2010, UPS incurred $175 million in charges that reduced diluted earnings per share by $0.18. Those charges related to the U.S. domestic segment reorganization, a loss on the sale of a supply chain unit and a change in the tax filing status of a German subsidiary.

Recently, UPS was recognized as the "World's Most Admired" company in its industry by FORTUNE magazine. The company was cited for its outstanding reputation, quality of products and services, superior innovation, long-term investment value and quality of management. In addition, the Reputation Institute polled nearly 33,000 consumers to measure perceptions of trust, esteem and admiration of large U.S. companies. UPS ranked sixth overall and first in the transportation industry.

Cash Position

UPS generated $900 million in free cash flow during the quarter, even after making accelerated pension contributions of $1.2 billion. Capital expenditures for the period were $400 million.

Distributions to shareowners during the quarter increased as UPS paid dividends totaling $500 million, up 10.6% per share. The company also repurchased 6.8 million shares for approximately $500 million.


                                                Adjusted

U.S. Domestic Package   1Q 2011     1Q 2010     1Q 2010

Revenue                 $ 7.54  B   $ 7.10  B

Operating profit        $ 849   M   $ 562   M   $ 660    M

Operating margin          11.3  %     7.9   %     9.3    %

Average volume per day    12.67 M     12.73 M



Operating profit jumped 29% on an adjusted basis with revenue growth of 6.2%. On a reported basis, operating profit increased 51%. Operating margin expanded 200 basis points to 11.3% due to higher yields and operational efficiencies. On a reported basis, margin expanded by 340 basis points.

Premium product growth outpaced ground as UPS Next Day Air(R) package volume grew at a mid-single digit rate. Revenue per piece for the segment improved 5%, primarily driven by increases in base rates and higher fuel surcharges.

Earlier this month UPS proudly hosted President Barack Obama at its Landover, Md., facility. The visit included a close-up look at our "rolling laboratory" of alternative fuel vehicles and best-in-class technologies that make UPS so efficient. This "green fleet" recently celebrated a milestone of having driven a combined 200 million miles since 2000.


International Package   1Q 2011      1Q 2010

Revenue                 $ 2.90  B    $ 2.64  B

Operating profit        $ 446   M    $ 427   M

Operating margin          15.4  %      16.2  %

Average volume per day    2.29  M      2.20  M



Operating profit for the segment improved to $446 million on 10% revenue growth. Revenue per piece climbed 3.8% as the gains from rate increases, higher fuel surcharges and product mix were offset somewhat by currency.

Export average daily volume increased 7.2%, continuing to outperform the market. Europe led the way with strong export volume growth that was balanced to all regions of the world.

UPS announced the expansion of its Asia air network during the quarter. The addition of four direct flights from Hong Kong to Europe enables UPS to offer the widest guaranteed next-day delivery coverage for both packages and heavy freight on this important trade lane.


                                                 Adjusted

Supply Chain & Freight   1Q 2011     1Q 2010     1Q 2010

Revenue                  $ 2.14  B   $ 1.99  M

Operating profit         $ 131   M   $ 53    M   $ 91     M

Operating margin           6.1   %     2.7   %     4.6    %



Operating profit soared 44% on an adjusted basis with revenue growth of 7.6%. On a reported basis, operating profit increased 147%. The operating margin for the segment increased to 6.1% driven primarily by improvements in the Forwarding business unit and UPS Freight.

Forwarding experienced margin expansion over last year due to revenue management initiatives and lower purchased transportation.

UPS Freight revenue was up almost 23% over the prior-year period. The business unit saw strong increases in LTL revenue per hundredweight and gross weight hauled.

The company announced expansion of UPS Express Freight to Israel and Slovakia in February. These two emerging markets are quickly becoming key hubs for the high-tech, automotive and other manufacturing industries. UPS also announced during the quarter the expansion of its Preferred LCL Ocean Freight service to include 10 additional ports in Asia. This service provides up to 40% faster port-to-door delivery to the United States for LCL shipments.

Outlook

"The growth story at UPS continues with earnings improving 24% as customers realize the benefits from the solutions we provide," said Kurt Kuehn, UPS's chief financial officer. "These outstanding results were produced through our focus on quality of revenue combined with the flexibility and efficiency of our global network.

"The strategies are in place for UPS to achieve record results in 2011," Kuehn added. "Confidence in our ability to execute leads UPS to raise guidance for 2011 diluted earnings per share to a range of $4.15-to-$4.40, an increase of 17-to-24% over adjusted 2010 results."

UPS (NYSE:UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis and CFO Kurt Kuehn will discuss first quarter results with investors and analysts during a conference call at 8:30 a.m. EST today. That call is open to listeners through a live Webcast. To access the call, go to www.investors.ups.com and click on "Earnings Webcast."

UPS routinely posts investor announcements on its web site -- www.investors.ups.com -- and encourages those interested in the company to check there frequently.

We supplement the reporting of our financial information determined under generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") with certain non-GAAP financial measures, including, as applicable, "as adjusted" operating profit, operating margin, pre-tax income, net income and earnings per share. The equivalent measures determined in accordance with GAAP are also referred to as "reported" or "unadjusted". We believe that these adjusted measures provide meaningful information to assist investors and analysts in understanding our financial results and assessing our prospects for future performance. We believe these adjusted financial measures are important indicators of our recurring operations because they exclude items that may not be indicative of or are unrelated to our core operating results, and provide a better baseline for analyzing trends in our underlying businesses. Furthermore, we use these adjusted financial measures to determine awards for our management personnel under our incentive compensation plans.

In the first quarter of 2010, we recorded a $98 million pre-tax restructuring charge in our U.S. Domestic Package operations related to the reorganization of our domestic management structure. We also incurred a $38 million pre-tax loss on the sale of a specialized transportation business in Germany in our Supply Chain & Freight segment. Additionally, we recorded a $76 million charge to income tax expense, resulting from a change in the filing status of a German subsidiary. We presented first quarter 2011 and 2010 operating profit, operating margin, pre-tax income, net income and earnings per share excluding the impact of these items as we believe these adjusted measures better enable shareowners to focus on period-over-period operating performance. The underlying matters that produced these charges were unique, and we do not believe they are reflective of the types of charges that will affect future results.

Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. These adjusted financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP operating profit, operating margin, net income and earnings per share, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results and the preceding reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of our business. We strongly encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of UPS and its management regarding the company's strategic directions, prospects and future results, involve certain risks and uncertainties. Certain factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, governmental regulations, our competitive environment, strikes, work stoppages and slowdowns, increases in aviation and motor fuel prices, cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, and other risks discussed in the company's Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated herein by reference.


United Parcel Service, Inc.

Selected Financial Data - First Quarter

(unaudited)

                                       Three Months Ended

                                       March 31,             Change

                                         2011       2010       $      %

(amounts in millions, except per share
data)

Statement of Income Data:

Revenue:

U.S. Domestic Package                  $ 7,543    $ 7,102    $ 441    6.2   %

International Package                    2,900      2,639      261    9.9   %

Supply Chain & Freight                   2,139      1,987      152    7.6   %

Total revenue                            12,582     11,728     854    7.3   %

Operating expenses:

Compensation and benefits                6,608      6,539      69     1.1   %

Other                                    4,548      4,147      401    9.7   %

Total operating expenses                 11,156     10,686     470    4.4   %

Operating profit:

U.S. Domestic Package                    849        562        287    51.1  %

International Package                    446        427        19     4.4   %

Supply Chain & Freight                   131        53         78     147.2 %

Total operating profit                   1,426      1,042      384    36.9  %

Other income (expense):

Investment income (loss)                 11         (4     )   15     N/A

Interest expense                         (85    )   (85    )   -      0.0   %

Total other income (expense)             (74    )   (89    )   15     -16.9 %

Income before income taxes               1,352      953        399    41.9  %

Income tax expense                       467        420        47     11.2  %

Net income                             $ 885      $ 533      $ 352    66.0  %

Net income as a percentage of revenue    7.0    %   4.5    %

Per share amounts

Basic earnings per share               $ 0.89     $ 0.54     $ 0.35   64.8  %

Diluted earnings per share             $ 0.88     $ 0.53     $ 0.35   66.0  %

Weighted-average shares outstanding

Basic                                    992        995        (3   ) -0.3  %

Diluted                                  1,002      1,004      (2   ) -0.2  %

As adjusted income data:

Operating profit:

U.S. Domestic Package (1)              $ 849      $ 660      $ 189    28.6  %

International Package                    446        427        19     4.4   %

Supply Chain & Freight (2)               131        91         40     44.0  %

Total operating profit                   1,426      1,178      248    21.1  %

Income before income taxes (1), (2)    $ 1,352    $ 1,089    $ 263    24.2  %

Net income (3)                         $ 885      $ 708      $ 177    25.0  %

Basic earnings per share (3)           $ 0.89     $ 0.71     $ 0.18   25.4  %

Diluted earnings per share (3)         $ 0.88     $ 0.71     $ 0.17   23.9  %

(1) First quarter 2010 U.S. Domestic Package operating profit and
consolidated income before income taxes excluded a $98 million restructuring
charge related to the reorganization of our domestic management structure.
This charge reflected the value of voluntary retirement benefits, severance
benefits and unvested stock compensation.

(2) First quarter 2010 Supply Chain & Freight operating profit and
consolidated income before income taxes excluded a $38 million loss on the
sale of a specialized transportation business in Germany.

(3) First quarter 2010 net income and earnings per share amounts excluded the
after-tax impact of the U.S. Domestic Package restructuring charge described
in (1) and the business sale described in (2), which total a combined $99
million. Additionally, first quarter 2010 net income and earnings per share
excluded a $76 million charge to income tax expense, resulting from a change
in the tax filing status of a German subsidiary.

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current
year presentation.




United Parcel Service, Inc.

Selected Operating Data - First Quarter

(unaudited)

                                             Three Months Ended

                                             March 31,           Change

                                               2011     2010     $/ #     %

Revenue (in millions):

U.S. Domestic Package:

Next Day Air                                 $ 1,495  $ 1,382    $ 113    8.2  %

Deferred                                       753      694        59     8.5  %

Ground                                         5,295    5,026      269    5.4  %

Total U.S. Domestic Package                    7,543    7,102      441    6.2  %

International Package:

Domestic                                       629      584        45     7.7  %

Export                                         2,131    1,932      199    10.3 %

Cargo                                          140      123        17     13.8 %

Total International Package                    2,900    2,639      261    9.9  %

Supply Chain & Freight:

Forwarding and Logistics                       1,429    1,391      38     2.7  %

Freight                                        604      492        112    22.8 %

Other                                          106      104        2      1.9  %

Total Supply Chain & Freight                   2,139    1,987      152    7.6  %

Consolidated                                 $ 12,582 $ 11,728   $ 854    7.3  %

Consolidated volume (in millions)              957      940        17     1.8  %

Operating weekdays                             64       63         1

Average Daily Package Volume (in thousands):

U.S. Domestic Package:

Next Day Air                                   1,155    1,145      10     0.9  %

Deferred                                       896      899        (3   ) -0.3 %

Ground                                         10,618   10,683     (65  ) -0.6 %

Total U.S. Domestic Package                    12,669   12,727     (58  ) -0.5 %

International Package:

Domestic                                       1,393    1,364      29     2.1  %

Export                                         895      835        60     7.2  %

Total International Package                    2,288    2,199      89     4.0  %

Consolidated                                   14,957   14,926     31     0.2  %

Average Revenue Per Piece:

U.S. Domestic Package:

Next Day Air                                 $ 20.22  $ 19.16    $ 1.06   5.5  %

Deferred                                       13.13    12.25      0.88   7.2  %

Ground                                         7.79     7.47       0.32   4.3  %

Total U.S. Domestic Package                    9.30     8.86       0.44   5.0  %

International Package:

Domestic                                       7.06     6.80       0.26   3.8  %

Export                                         37.20    36.73      0.47   1.3  %

Total International Package                    18.85    18.16      0.69   3.8  %

Consolidated                                 $ 10.76  $ 10.23    $ 0.53   5.2  %

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year
presentation.




United Parcel Service, Inc.

Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow

(unaudited)

                                   Preliminary

                                   Year-to-Date

(amounts in millions)              March 31, 2011

Net cash from operations           $ 1,284

Capital expenditures               (402)

Proceeds from disposals of PP&E    11

Net change in finance receivables  26

Other investing activities         (16)

Free cash flow                     $ 903

Amounts are subject to reclassification.

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current
year presentation.




    Source: UPS