UPS vs FRO vs KEX Stock Comparison

United Parcel Service, Frontline and Kirby Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FRO Frontline plc
$52.93 +11.3% 1M +117.4% 1Y
Market cap
$12.31B
P/E
8.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.71B
Div. yield
–
Marine Shipping Industrials
8 wins
KEX Kirby Corp
$133.15 +2.4% 1M +55.1% 1Y
Market cap
$7.20B
P/E
20.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Marine Shipping Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Frontline leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Frontline 8, Kirby 2, United Parcel Service 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionUPSFROKEXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $85.15B $12.31B $7.20B UPS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.6x 8.3x 20.3x FRO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 5.3x 19.4x FRO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.4% +48.8% +6.6% FRO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.1% 54.8% 10.2% FRO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.9% 29.5% 8.3% FRO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.9x — 1.3x KEX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.1% +117.4% +55.1% FRO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -13.1%/yr +41.7%/yr +18.6%/yr FRO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.6% 44.6% 29.0% KEX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 44/100 81/100 63/100 FRO

Percentile Scorecard

UPSFROKEX

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisUPSFROKEX
Valuation 45 #75 of 136 55 #62 of 136 42 #80 of 136
Growth 23 #94 of 122 96 #6 of 122 79 #26 of 122
Profitability 70 #36 of 119 99 #2 of 119 53 #56 of 119
Financial Health 33 #99 of 147 66 #50 of 147 64 #53 of 147
Shareholder Returns 51 #42 of 84 87 #12 of 84 78 #19 of 84
Overall 44 81 63
  • UPS ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • FRO ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • KEX ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodUPSFROKEXSPY
1 month +5.5%+11.3%+2.4% -1.0%
3 months -12.0%+34.7%-10.4% +2.9%
6 months -5.6%+48.7%-11.6% +6.4%
Year to date +1.9%+142.6%+20.8% +11.4%
1 year +16.1%+117.4%+55.1% +13.1%
3 years -32.3%+146.8%+65.4% +79.4%
3 years, per year -12.2%+35.2%+18.3% +21.5%
5 years -50.4%+471.0%+134.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year -13.1%+41.7%+18.6% +10.9%
10 years -5.7%+586.5%+121.3% +255.2%
10 years, per year -0.6%+21.2%+8.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureUPSFROKEXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.6%44.6%29.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.7%45.3%27.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.720.480.56 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.532.631.90 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -64.4%-56.1%-38.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.8%-10.6%-12.7% -2.5%
52-week high $120.00$59.22$152.59 $779.14
52-week low $87.03$20.58$85.86 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleUPSFROKEX
P/E now vs peer median 18.8xmedian 16.0x 7.9xmedian 16.0x 20.0xmedian 16.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 1.0x 4.3xmedian 1.0x 2.0xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.2xmedian 8.7x —median 8.7x 10.5xmedian 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 13.9xmedian 11.5x 5.8xmedian 11.5x 14.8xmedian 11.5x
P/B now vs peer median 5.0xmedian 1.2x 3.7xmedian 1.2x 2.0xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median -0.83median 0.82 0.42median 0.82 0.63median 0.82

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsUPSFROKEX
Revenue $89.93B $2.71B $3.49B
Gross profit – – $1.16B
Operating income $6.58B $1.63B $488.92M
Net income $4.57B $1.49B $355.89M
Free cash flow $5.46B $2.02B $475.58M
EPS (diluted) $5.37 $6.68 $6.62
Cash & equivalents $4.65B $321.42M $38.96M
Total debt $24.48B $2.43B $3.99B
Shares (diluted) 851.00M 222.62M 53.70M
Enterprise value $62.05B $11.07B $6.97B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricUPSFROKEX
P/E 18.8x 7.9x 20.0x
P/FCF 13.9x 5.8x 14.8x
P/Operating cash flow 8.5x 8.7x 9.9x
P/S 0.8x 4.3x 2.0x
P/B 5.0x 3.7x 2.0x
P/Tangible book 6.8x 3.7x 2.1x
EV/EBITDA 9.2x – 10.5x
EV/EBIT 14.5x 8.5x 16.4x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 5.1x 2.3x
EV/FCF 17.5x 6.9x 16.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.8x 10.3x 11.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.83 0.42 0.63

Growth

14 metrics
MetricUPSFROKEX
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.4% 48.8% 6.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.2% 12.2% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – 5.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -21.7% 226.3% 18.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -17.3% 24.1% 22.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -20.2% 524.5% 17.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -23.0% 21.7% 26.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -20.6% 524.5% 23.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -22.7% 19.0% 31.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 18.6% 116.9% 21.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -8.0% 17.1% 18.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 54.2% 218.6% 82.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.2% 20.5% 43.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricUPSFROKEX
Gross margin – – 33.2%
EBITDA margin 11.6% – 21.8%
Operating margin 7.3% 60.1% 14.0%
Pretax margin 6.5% 54.9% 13.5%
Net margin 5.1% 54.8% 10.2%
FCF margin 6.1% 74.3% 13.6%
Operating cash flow margin 9.9% 49.8% 20.3%
Return on equity 29.6% 49.6% 10.4%
Return on assets 6.4% 25.9% 5.8%
Return on invested capital 12.9% 29.5% 8.3%
Return on capital employed 11.6% 31.0% 9.0%
Asset turnover 1.3x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 0.9x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.1% – 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricUPSFROKEX
Debt / assets 34.4% 41.9% 16.7%
Debt / equity 1.6x 0.8x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.9x – 1.3x
Debt / FCF 4.5x 1.2x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 78.8% 45.7% 44.6%
Equity / assets 21.2% 54.3% 55.4%
Interest coverage 6.0x 8.8x 11.0x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.9x 1.7x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.4x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.7x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 2.79 4.46 3.23

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricUPSFROKEX
Dividend yield 6.5% 6.7% –
Net buyback yield -0.2% – 4.6%
Shareholder yield 6.3% 6.7% 4.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusUPSFROKEX
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 5.3xFY2026 19.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.74FY2026 $9.98FY2026 $6.86FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -5.9%FY2026 +487.1%FY2026 +8.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +26.9% -49.8% +29.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $87.62BFY2026 $2.52BFY2026 $3.49BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.2%FY2026 +110.2%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.5% -18.3% +4.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersUPSFROKEX
Held by institutions 70.9% 33.6% 99.6%
Institutions holding 2,137 261 464
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +36.6% -0.1%
Institutions buying 1,088 152 252
Institutions selling 809 74 145
Buyers to sellers 1.34 2.05 1.74

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

UPSFROKEX
UPS 1.00 0.07 0.16
FRO 0.07 1.00 0.14
KEX 0.16 0.14 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, UPS, FRO and KEX?

United Parcel Service (UPS) is the largest by market capitalisation: United Parcel Service (UPS) $85.15B, Frontline (FRO) $12.31B, Kirby (KEX) $7.20B.

Which stock is cheaper, UPS, FRO and KEX?

Frontline (FRO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (United Parcel Service (UPS) 18.6x, Frontline (FRO) 8.3x, Kirby (KEX) 20.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Frontline (FRO) is cheapest (United Parcel Service (UPS) 15.0x, Frontline (FRO) 5.3x, Kirby (KEX) 19.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Frontline (FRO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: United Parcel Service (UPS) -0.4%, Frontline (FRO) +48.8%, Kirby (KEX) +6.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Frontline (FRO) has the highest net margin (United Parcel Service (UPS) 5.1%, Frontline (FRO) 54.8%, Kirby (KEX) 10.2%). On return on invested capital, Frontline (FRO) leads (United Parcel Service (UPS) 12.9%, Frontline (FRO) 29.5%, Kirby (KEX) 8.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Frontline (FRO) returned the most: United Parcel Service (UPS) +16.1%, Frontline (FRO) +117.4%, Kirby (KEX) +55.1%. Over five years, Frontline (FRO) compounded fastest (United Parcel Service (UPS) -13.1%/yr, Frontline (FRO) +41.7%/yr, Kirby (KEX) +18.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kirby (KEX) has been the steadiest (United Parcel Service (UPS) 30.6%, Frontline (FRO) 44.6%, Kirby (KEX) 29.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, UPS, FRO and KEX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Frontline (FRO) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.