General (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Feb. 29, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES. These interim financial statements of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) instructions for interim financial information, and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2019 (“Annual Report”). Significant accounting policies and other disclosures normally provided have been omitted since such items are disclosed in our Annual Report.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly our financial position as of February 29, 2020, and the results of our operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2020 and February 28, 2019, cash flows for the nine-month periods ended February 29, 2020 and February 28, 2019, and changes in common stockholders’ investment for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2020 and February 28, 2019. Operating results for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2020 and February 28, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending May 31, 2020.

Except as otherwise specified, references to years indicate our fiscal year ending May 31, 2020 or ended May 31 of the year referenced and comparisons are to the corresponding period of the prior year.

Reclassifications

RECLASSIFICATIONS. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior years’ condensed consolidated financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.

Revenue Recognition

REVENUE RECOGNITION. 

Contract Assets and Liabilities

Contract assets include billed and unbilled amounts resulting from in-transit packages, as we have an unconditional right to payment only once all performance obligations have been completed (e.g., packages have been delivered). Contract assets are generally classified as current and the full balance is converted each quarter based on the short-term nature of the transactions. Our contract liabilities consist of advance payments and billings in excess of revenue. The full balance of deferred revenue is converted each quarter based on the short-term nature of the transactions.

Gross contract assets related to in-transit packages totaled $491 million and $533 million at February 29, 2020 and May 31, 2019, respectively. Contract assets net of deferred unearned revenue were $360 million and $364 million at February 29, 2020 and May 31, 2019, respectively. Contract assets are included within current assets in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. Contract liabilities related to advance payments from customers were $10 million and $11 million at February 29, 2020 and May 31, 2019, respectively. Contract liabilities are included within current liabilities in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following table provides revenue by service type (in millions) for the periods ended February 29, 2020 and February 28, 2019. This presentation is consistent with how we organize our segments internally for making operating decisions and measuring performance.

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	2020		2019		2020		2019
REVENUE BY SERVICE TYPE
FedEx Express segment:
Package:
U.S. overnight box	$	1,865	$	1,844	$	5,595	$	5,678
U.S. overnight envelope		459		433		1,395		1,345
U.S. deferred		1,127		1,119		3,063		3,131
Total U.S. domestic package revenue		3,451		3,396		10,053		10,154
International priority		1,710		1,738		5,344		5,508
International economy		810		806		2,538		2,541
Total international export package revenue		2,520		2,544		7,882		8,049
International domestic(1)		1,075		1,078		3,316		3,412
Total package revenue		7,046		7,018		21,251		21,615
Freight:
U.S.		739		772		2,132		2,294
International priority		439		477		1,376		1,574
International economy		499		495		1,556		1,568
International airfreight		61		76		197		244
Total freight revenue		1,738		1,820		5,261		5,680
Other		140		167		441		536
Total FedEx Express segment		8,924		9,005		26,953		27,831
FedEx Ground segment		5,845		5,261		16,339		15,202
FedEx Freight segment		1,738		1,750		5,487		5,627
FedEx Services segment		6		4		15		17
Other and eliminations(2)		974		990		3,065		3,209
	$	17,487	$	17,010	$	51,859	$	51,886

⁽¹⁾ International domestic revenue relates to our international intra-country operations.

⁽²⁾ Includes the FedEx Logistics, Inc. (“FedEx Logistics”) and FedEx Office and Print Services, Inc. (“FedEx Office”) operating segments.

Leases

LEASES. We lease certain facilities, aircraft, equipment and vehicles under operating and finance leases. A determination of whether a contract contains a lease is made at the inception of the arrangement. Our leased facilities include national, regional and metropolitan sorting facilities, retail facilities and administrative buildings. We leased 5% of our total aircraft fleet as of February 29, 2020 and 6% as of May 31, 2019.

Our leases generally contain options to extend or terminate the lease. We reevaluate our leases on a regular basis to consider the economic and strategic incentives of exercising the renewal options, and how they align with our operating strategy. Therefore, substantially all the renewal option periods are not included within the lease term and the associated payments are not included in the measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability as the options to extend are not reasonably certain at lease commencement.

The lease liabilities are measured at the lease commencement date and determined using the present value of the minimum lease payments not yet paid and our incremental borrowing rate, which approximates the rate at which we would borrow, on a collateralized basis, over the term of a lease in the applicable currency environment. The interest rate implicit in the lease is generally not determinable in transactions where we are the lessee.

For real estate leases, we account for lease components and non-lease components (such as common area maintenance) as a single lease component. Certain real estate leases require additional payments based on sales volume and index-based rate increases, as well as reimbursement for real estate taxes, common area maintenance and insurance, which are expensed as incurred as variable lease costs. Certain leases contain fixed lease payments for items such as real estate taxes, common area maintenance and insurance. These fixed payments are considered part of the lease payment and included in the right-of-use assets and lease liabilities.

See Note 8 for additional information.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS.  Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. For assets that are to be held and used, an impairment is recognized when the estimated undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset or group of assets is less than their carrying value. If impairment exists, an adjustment is made to write the asset down to its fair value, and a loss is recorded as the difference between the carrying value and fair value. Fair values are determined based on quoted market values, discounted cash flows or internal and external appraisals, as applicable. Assets to be disposed of are carried at the lower of carrying value or estimated net realizable value.

We operate integrated transportation networks, and accordingly, cash flows for most of our operating assets to be held and used are assessed at a network level, not at an individual asset level, for our analysis of impairment.

In the second quarter of 2020, we made the decision to permanently retire from service 10 Airbus A310-300 aircraft and 12 related engines at Federal Express Corporation (“FedEx Express”) to align with the needs of the U.S. domestic network and modernize its aircraft fleet. As a consequence of this decision, noncash impairment charges of $66 million ($50 million, net of tax, or $0.19 per diluted share) were recorded in the FedEx Express segment in the second quarter. Seven of these aircraft were temporarily idled.

Stock-based Compensation

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION. We have two types of equity-based compensation: stock options and restricted stock. The key terms of the stock option and restricted stock awards granted under our incentive stock plans and all financial disclosures about these programs are set forth in our Annual Report.

Our stock-based compensation expense was $33 million for the three-month period ended February 29, 2020 and $137 million for the nine-month period ended February 29, 2020. Our stock-based compensation expense was $33 million for the three-month period ended February 28, 2019 and $141 million for the nine-month period ended February 28, 2019. Due to its immateriality, additional disclosures related to stock-based compensation have been excluded from this quarterly report.

Derivative Financial Instruments

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS. Our risk management strategy includes the select use of derivative instruments to reduce the effects of volatility in foreign currency exchange exposure on operating results and cash flows. In accordance with our risk management policies, we do not hold or issue derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. All derivative instruments are recognized in the financial statements at fair value, regardless of the purpose or intent for holding them.

When we become a party to a derivative instrument and intend to apply hedge accounting, we formally document the hedge relationship and the risk management objective for undertaking the hedge, which includes designating the instrument for financial reporting purposes as a fair value hedge, a cash flow hedge or a net investment hedge.

If a derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is recorded in other comprehensive income. For net investment hedges, the entire change in the fair value is recorded in the currency translation adjustment section of other comprehensive income. Any portion of a change in the fair value of a derivative that is considered to be ineffective, along with the change in fair value of any derivatives not designated in a hedging relationship, is immediately recognized in the income statement. We do not have any derivatives designated as a cash flow hedge for any period presented. Accordingly, additional disclosures about cash flow hedges are excluded from this quarterly report. On August 13, 2019, we designated €294 million of debt and on November 8, 2019, we designated an additional €98 million of debt, for a total of €392 million, as a net investment hedge to reduce the volatility of the U.S. dollar value of a portion of our net investment in a euro-denominated consolidated subsidiary. As of February 29, 2020, the requirements for the application of hedge accounting continue to be met and the hedge remains effective.

Recent Accounting Guidance

RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE. New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can significantly impact our reported results and the comparability of our financial statements. We believe the following new accounting guidance is relevant to the readers of our financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a new lease accounting standard, which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize the expenses in their income statements in a manner similar to current practice. Lessees are required to recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Expenses related to leases determined to be operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis, while those determined to be finance leases are recognized following a front-loaded expense profile in which interest and amortization are presented separately in the income statement.  

We adopted this new standard on June 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective transition method. Using the modified retrospective transition method of adoption, we did not adjust the balance sheet for comparative periods but recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings on June 1, 2019. We have elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allows us to carry forward the historical accounting relating to lease identification and classification for existing leases upon adoption. We also elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for the majority of our classes of assets. For leases in which the lease and non-lease components have been combined, the lease expense includes expenses such as common area maintenance. We have made an accounting policy election not to recognize leases with an initial term of 12 months or less on the consolidated balance sheet.  

The adoption of the new lease accounting standard resulted in the recognition of an operating lease liability of $14.2 billion and an operating right-of-use asset of $14.1 billion, with an immaterial impact on our income statement compared to the previous lease accounting model. Existing prepaid asset and net deferred rent liability balances of $154 million and $309 million, respectively, were recorded to the right-of-use asset. The cumulative effect of the adoption to retained earnings was an increase of $57 million ($47 million, net of tax), primarily related to the reclassification of deferred gains related to sale-leasebacks of aircraft. Substantially all of our lease arrangements are operating leases under the new standard. The new standard had a material impact on our balance sheet, but did not materially impact consolidated operating results and had no impact on operating cash flows.

See “Leases” and Note 8 for additional information.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02 that permits companies to reclassify the income tax effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) on items within Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”) to retained earnings. We adopted this new standard on June 1, 2019.

New Accounting Standards and Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 that changes how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. We will adopt this standard effective June 1, 2020 (fiscal 2021). This standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 that reduces the complexity of accounting for costs of implementing a cloud computing service arrangement and aligns the accounting for capitalizing implementation costs of hosting arrangements, regardless of whether they convey a license to the hosted software. We will adopt this standard effective June 1, 2020 (fiscal 2021) and apply these changes prospectively. This new guidance will have a minimal impact on our financial reporting.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This standard is effective June 1, 2021 (fiscal 2022). We are currently evaluating the impact of this new standard but do not currently expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2020, the SEC amended Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X regarding financial disclosure requirements for registered debt offerings involving subsidiaries as either issuers or guarantors and affiliates whose securities are pledged as collateral. This new guidance narrows the circumstances that require separate financial statements of subsidiary issuers and guarantors and streamlines the alternative disclosures required in lieu of those statements. This rule is effective January 4, 2021 (fiscal 2021) with earlier adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new rule on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.