United Parcel Service key statistics and ratios
In fiscal 2025, United Parcel Service had return on equity of 33.8%, an operating margin of 8.9%, debt equal to 148.7% of equity and a current ratio of 1.22. Each ratio below is calculated from the figures on its income statement, balance sheet and cash flow pages.
Financial ratios
| Fiscal year | 2009Dec 2009 | 2010Dec 2010 | 2011Dec 2011 | 2012Dec 2012 | 2013Dec 2013 | 2014Dec 2014 | 2015Dec 2015 | 2016Dec 2016 | 2017Dec 2017 | 2018Dec 2018 | 2019Dec 2019 | 2020Dec 2020 | 2021Dec 2021 | 2022Dec 2022 | 2023Dec 2023 | 2024Dec 2024 | 2025Dec 2025 | LTMJun 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 7.7% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 2.5% | 12.7% | 8.5% | 13.1% | 12.6% | 11.4% | 9.8% | 10.5% | 9.1% | 13.2% | 13.0% | 10.0% | 9.3% | 8.9% | 7.3% |
| Net margin | 4.3% | 6.7% | 7.2% | 1.5% | 7.9% | 5.2% | 8.3% | 5.6% | 7.4% | 6.7% | 6.0% | 1.6% | 13.2% | 11.5% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 5.1% |
| Free-cash-flow margin | 8.1% | 4.9% | 9.5% | 9.4% | 9.5% | 5.8% | 8.7% | 5.8% | −5.7% | 8.9% | 3.0% | 6.0% | 11.1% | 9.3% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| Return on equity | 25.8% | 42.8% | 50.7% | 13.8% | 78.6% | 70.4% | — | — | — | — | 141.2% | 68.5% | 172.9% | 67.9% | 36.2% | 34.0% | 33.8% | 29.2% |
| Return on assets | 6.2% | 10.2% | 11.1% | 2.2% | 11.8% | 8.5% | 13.1% | 8.7% | 11.4% | 10.0% | 8.2% | 2.2% | 19.6% | 16.4% | 9.4% | 8.2% | 7.8% | 6.3% |
| Asset turnover | 1.42 | 1.51 | 1.56 | 1.47 | 1.49 | 1.64 | 1.58 | 1.54 | 1.53 | 1.50 | 1.37 | 1.41 | 1.48 | 1.43 | 1.28 | 1.29 | 1.24 | 1.25 |
| Current ratio | 1.49 | 1.96 | 1.89 | 1.86 | 1.88 | 1.30 | 1.23 | 1.18 | 1.22 | 1.15 | 1.11 | 1.19 | 1.42 | 1.22 | 1.10 | 1.17 | 1.22 | 1.18 |
| Debt to equity | 124.8% | 135.9% | 158.6% | 314.9% | 168.7% | 546.6% | 702.5% | >999% | >999% | 845.4% | 981.9% | >999% | 168.7% | 99.4% | 128.6% | 127.3% | 148.7% | 162.5% |
| Interest cover (operating income ÷ interest) | 7.9x | 15.9x | 17.5x | 3.4x | 18.5x | 14.1x | 22.5x | 20.2x | 16.6x | 11.6x | 11.9x | 11.0x | 18.5x | 18.6x | 11.6x | 9.8x | 7.7x | 6.0x |
| Effective tax rate | 36.0% | 36.9% | 34.1% | 17.1% | 34.5% | 34.6% | 34.0% | 33.2% | 31.3% | 20.4% | 21.4% | 27.2% | 22.3% | 22.1% | 21.8% | 22.3% | 22.2% | 22.1% |
| Capital spending as % of revenue | 3.5% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 7.9% | 8.7% | 8.6% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 5.7% | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.8% |
| Free cash flow ÷ net income | 187.1% | 73.3% | 133.2% | 627.4% | 119.8% | 112.1% | 104.3% | 102.5% | −76.4% | 134.2% | 50.9% | 375.8% | 83.9% | 80.8% | 75.7% | 107.5% | 85.5% | 119.4% |
| Dividends ÷ net income | 89.0% | 54.5% | 52.5% | 263.9% | 51.7% | 78.0% | 52.1% | 77.2% | 56.5% | 62.8% | 71.9% | 251.2% | 26.7% | 44.3% | 80.1% | 93.4% | 96.9% | 118.4% |
| Dividends and buybacks ÷ free cash flow | 62.8% | 107.7% | 92.0% | 74.1% | 116.4% | 148.9% | 103.5% | 151.7% | — | 62.6% | 185.8% | 71.3% | 36.4% | 92.3% | 150.0% | 94.9% | 134.3% | 99.1% |
| Quarter | 2024 Q3Sept 2024 | 2024 Q4Dec 2024 | 2025 Q1Mar 2025 | 2025 Q2Jun 2025 | 2025 Q3Sept 2025 | 2025 Q4Dec 2025 | 2026 Q1Mar 2026 | 2026 Q2Jun 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 8.9% | 11.6% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 10.5% | 6.0% | 4.1% |
| Net margin | 6.9% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 7.3% | 4.1% | 2.6% |
| Free-cash-flow margin | 2.9% | 8.8% | 6.7% | −3.7% | 7.1% | 10.6% | 5.6% | 0.7% |
| Current ratio | 1.14 | 1.17 | 1.09 | 1.32 | 1.30 | 1.22 | 1.21 | 1.18 |
| Debt to equity | 130.1% | 136.8% | 136.5% | 157.1% | 156.6% | 149.1% | 154.7% | 162.5% |
Financial health
- Short-term assets cover short-term liabilities $17.5bn of assets due within a year against $14.9bn of liabilities due within a year.
- Short-term assets cover long-term liabilities Not assessable from the reported split. Not assessable.
- More cash than debt $4.7bn of cash against $24.5bn of debt.
- Debt below 40% of shareholders' equity Debt is 163% of equity.
- Debt burden no higher than five years ago Debt to equity moved from 139% to 163% over five years.
- A year's operating cash flow covers at least 20% of debt $8.9bn of operating cash flow against $24.5bn of debt.
- Operating profit covers interest at least five times over Operating income of $6.6bn against $1.1bn of interest.
Moat
Moderate moat
How hard United Parcel Service's competitive advantage looks for rivals to wear away, judged from 10 years of its own filings: returns on capital, pricing power, profit durability, cash conversion and discipline.
- Returns on capital 14 / 20
Net income has been a median 9.0% of total assets over 10 years.
- Durability 12 / 20
Operating margin has been a median 9.9%; its worst year was 7.3%.
- Cash conversion 12 / 20
Free cash flow was positive in 9 of 10 years, at a median 5.6% of revenue.
- Discipline 18 / 20
The diluted share count fell 2.7% over five years; stock-based pay has been a median 1.0% of revenue.
AI disruption exposure: Medium. In this industry, AI could change how the product is made or sold, without replacing the core asset. The score above includes a 5-point deduction for that exposure (69 before it).
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