Expeditors announced second quarter 2024 financial results including the following comparisons to the same quarter of 2023:
“We continued to adapt well to another erratic quarter for our industry, which has been impacted by the rapid changes and imbalances in buy versus sell rates, particularly on exports out of Asia,” said Jeffrey S. Musser, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Air market capacity has been constrained by e-commerce demand, and ocean routing has been significantly disrupted by geopolitical events in the Red Sea, causing less frequent services due to blank sailings, longer transit times as well as port congestion. We have continued to adjust to the disruptions and uneven demand, keeping costs in check while we work to bring efficiency back in line with historical expectations.
“Air tonnage improved 15% y-o-y and 10% sequentially against Q1 2024, but buy rates outpaced increased sell rates, as international direct e-commerce demand from North Asia outweighed increased carrier capacity to accommodate this growth in demand. The air markets have further been impacted by manufacturing relocations. With respect to the ocean market, longer sailings due to insecurity on the Red Sea have largely lessened the benefits of any increased ocean capacity brought on this quarter. Even though ocean volumes increased for a second sequential quarter, buy rate increases outpaced higher sell rates.
“As we noted in the first quarter, our ability to see much beyond our day-to-day levels of activity remains challenging. While there are some signs of improving market conditions, there is much uncertainty with regard to demand, capacity, and pricing, not to mention unpredictable events with the potential to impact global shipping for days, weeks, or even longer. I am grateful for the customer-focused dedication of our workforce, particularly during these unpredictable times. We remain focused on keeping costs in check and are ready to pivot for whatever new challenges arise.”
Bradley S. Powell, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, added, “Expenses are still high compared to our 30% efficiency target (operating income as a percentage of revenue less directly related cost of transportation and other expenses), with compensation being our largest and most variable operating expense. We continue to focus on alignment of shipment activity with headcount. Once again, our primary area of increased headcount during the quarter compared to the same quarter last year was in information systems, as we add critical enhancements to further bolster our technology solutions, network and security. As we drive to achieve our efficiency target, we will continue to make important investments in people, processes and technology, as well as to invest in our strategic efforts to explore new areas for profitable growth.”
Mr. Powell also noted that the Company returned $205m to shareholders in common stock repurchases and dividends during the second quarter of 2024.
Source: Expeditors
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