📦 Status: delivered… FedEx shares spiked after the shipping titan topped profit estimates thanks to cost cuts, price hikes, and market-share gains. But sales fell 6% as shipping demand slowed. FedEx raised its earnings forecast as it tries to slash $4B in expenses by 2025 through layoffs + consolidation. It also benefited from its rivals’ woes last quarter: Yellow Corp, a big FedEx Freight competitor, went bankrupt. Meanwhile, UPS’s tense negotiations with the Teamsters union helped FedEx win over antsy UPS customers.Â
Fresh off the call: "We captured upside as a result of these one-time events," FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam said, referring to the turmoil at UPS and Yellow.Â
🥣 Pip, pip, Cheerios… General Mills reported 4% quarterly sales growth as folks kept stocking up on its snackable brands like Lucky Charms, Chex Mix, and Häagen-Dazs. The cereal icon got a boost from price hikes, as consumers stomach higher spend for brand names. CEO Jeff Harmening noted three themes for the quarter: cooling inflation, stabilizing supply chains, and “a resilient but increasingly cautious consumer.” He suggested Big Food companies could profit as folks dial back restaurant spending.Â
Fresh off the call: “People aren’t eating less… as consumers start to get squeezed, what generally happens is people move more at home,” Harmening said.Â
🏠BYOH (build your own house)… US homebuilding giant KB Home reported lower quarterly sales, profit, and home deliveries as demand cooled from its record results a year ago (it still beat estimates). KB’s average selling price for a home dropped to $466K from $509K a year ago (still ain’t cheap). Even though home supply is scarce, this month US homebuilder confidence fell to the lowest level since April as high mortgage rates and prices crush white-picket-fence dreams. Still, KB’s home orders for the quarter were up.Â
Fresh off the call: “We believe we are well positioned to navigate the potential for shifting housing market conditions,” CEO Jeffrey Mezger said.