Stock Analysis on Net

United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data

The cash flow statement provides information about a company cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period, showing how these cash flows link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company balance sheet.

The cash flow statement consists of three parts: cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities, and cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities.

United Parcel Service Inc., consolidated cash flow statement (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

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3 months ended: Dec 31, 2025 Sep 30, 2025 Jun 30, 2025 Mar 31, 2025 Dec 31, 2024 Sep 30, 2024 Jun 30, 2024 Mar 31, 2024 Dec 31, 2023 Sep 30, 2023 Jun 30, 2023 Mar 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Sep 30, 2022 Jun 30, 2022 Mar 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Sep 30, 2021 Jun 30, 2021 Mar 31, 2021
Net income 1,791 1,311 1,283 1,187 1,721 1,539 1,409 1,113 1,605 1,127 2,081 1,895 3,453 2,584 2,849 2,662 3,093 2,329 2,676 4,792
Depreciation and amortization 972 926 936 912 919 905 887 898 867 837 828 834 888 774 762 764 754 738 739 722
Pension and postretirement benefit (income) expense 246 249 257 257 924 256 259 259 601 243 243 243 (795) 233 232 201 200 183 185 (3,024)
Pension and postretirement benefit contributions (23) (417) (854) (67) (90) (1,284) (100) (50) (30) (35) (51) (1,277) (236) (1,983) (78) (45) (245) (55) (61) (215)
Self-insurance reserves 160 (93) 168 1 30 53 (66) 27 (24) 17 84 (20) (202) 70 157 (45) 56 (8) 126 4
Deferred tax expense (benefit) 26 50 (44) (40) (39) (48) 50 22 (128) 159 112 56 65 106 151 209 374 144 185 942
Stock compensation expense (benefit) 32 25 (5) 21 45 (24) 30 (27) 34 21 39 126 718 233 231 386 178 179 206 315
Other (gains) losses 268 (219) 42 22 201 (105) 37 129 176 108 (6) (13) 148 (36) (33) 44 104 33 (57) 57
Accounts receivable (1,236) 314 (420) 960 (1,961) (131) 34 1,492 (1,624) (18) 644 2,254 (1,344) 202 (407) 1,227 (2,126) (460) 4 435
Other assets 145 60 (147) 7 (46) 43 18 55 339 (439) 125 62 215 (36) (69) 7 56 87 (194) 363
Accounts payable 611 (359) 464 (906) 1,091 (144) 114 (799) 681 (137) (253) (1,668) 986 (444) 235 (743) 1,245 (36) 317 (261)
Accrued wages and withholdings 229 245 (77) (370) 153 211 125 12 (141) 380 (27) (508) (130) 289 (5) (343) (551) 79 28 199
Other liabilities 11 381 (1,210) 301 324 284 (804) 185 115 (25) (537) 405 (490) 459 (151) 173 86 92 (207) 180
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions (240) 641 (1,390) (8) (439) 263 (513) 945 (630) (239) (48) 545 (763) 470 (397) 321 (1,290) (238) (52) 916
Other operating activities 70 9 (45) 33 43 (57) (60) (5) (45) (32) 56 28 (61) (17) 22 2 (24) 22
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities 1,511 1,171 (935) 1,131 1,594 (41) 584 2,203 806 1,106 1,156 462 (121) (105) 964 1,818 153 978 1,247 (261)
Net cash from operating activities 3,302 2,482 348 2,318 3,315 1,498 1,993 3,316 2,411 2,233 3,237 2,357 3,332 2,479 3,813 4,480 3,246 3,307 3,923 4,531
Capital expenditures (716) (970) (1,123) (876) (1,098) (843) (933) (1,035) (2,049) (1,289) (1,211) (609) (2,491) (890) (840) (548) (1,624) (900) (836) (834)
Proceeds from disposal of businesses, property, plant and equipment 115 494 26 65 45 1,042 15 13 26 117 45 5 3 9 2 7 853 10
Purchases of marketable securities (90) (24) (2) (50) (174) (377) (599) (2,371) (1,711) (63) (64) (68) (115) (56) (63) (78)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities 64 24 171 34 23 10 19 2,696 304 494 724 1,179 62 63 70 60 109 43 80 134
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (1,489) (1) (478) (5) (22) (44) (1,290) (5) (34) (649) (7) (100) 1 (590) (7) (2) (3)
Other investing activities 25 (4) 4 (10) 2 (22) 10 (14) (21) (10) (5) 17 (275) (15) (2) (17) 47 5
Net cash (used in) from investing activities (2,001) (456) (923) (1,355) (1,057) 187 (913) 1,566 (3,204) (1,070) (1,046) (1,813) (5,064) (909) (927) (572) (2,218) (866) 32 (766)
Net change in short-term debt (1,272) 857 415 (498) (199) 697
Proceeds from long-term borrowings 4,128 25 2,785 883 43 2,503
Repayments of long-term borrowings (924) (83) (1,030) (32) (543) (436) (582) (926) (804) (29) (1,531) (65) (1,180) (19) (1,087) (18) (160) (14) (1,071) (1,528)
Purchases of common stock (1,000) (500) (752) (747) (751) (1,306) (952) (988) (254) (500)
Issuances of common stock 26 31 47 55 48 53 77 54 58 71 70 49 64 62 69 67 55 55 63 78
Dividends (1,353) (1,348) (1,349) (1,348) (1,350) (1,348) (1,353) (1,348) (1,338) (1,341) (1,345) (1,348) (1,272) (1,275) (1,283) (1,284) (859) (860) (860) (858)
Other financing activities 57 (28) (2) (13) (2) (5) (28) (174) (5) (10) (33) (384) (16) (5) (27) (481) (3) (1) (26) (334)
Net cash from (used in) financing activities (2,194) (1,428) 1,794 (2,313) (1,847) (2,236) 899 (3,666) (349) (1,603) (3,586) 4 (3,710) (2,189) (3,316) (1,970) (967) (1,818) (2,093) (1,945)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 16 (28) 173 40 (154) 77 (24) (48) 37 (61) 17 40 (1) (71) (43) 15 (18) (19) 15 1
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, including cash classified within current assets held for sale (877) 570 1,392 (1,310) 257 (474) 1,955 1,168 (1,105) (501) (1,378) 588 (5,443) (690) (473) 1,953 43 604 1,877 1,821
Net (increase) decrease in cash classified within current assets held for sale 10 (10)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (877) 570 1,392 (1,310) 257 (464) 1,945 1,168 (1,105) (501) (1,378) 588 (5,443) (690) (473) 1,953 43 604 1,877 1,821

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2025-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).


The cash flow statements reveal fluctuating performance across the observed period, spanning from March 2021 to December 2025. Net income demonstrates considerable volatility, peaking in December 2021 at US$3,453 million before declining significantly to US$1,187 million by March 2025. Operating cash flow generally tracks net income, remaining positive throughout the period but exhibiting similar fluctuations. Investing and financing activities show substantial shifts, impacting overall cash positions.

Operating Activities
Net cash from operating activities generally remained positive, although it experienced considerable variation. A peak of US$4,531 million was observed in March 2021, followed by a decline to US$2,357 million in December 2022. The largest contributor to this cash flow consistently appears to be net income, with significant adjustments arising from depreciation and amortization, and changes in working capital. Notably, adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities were substantial, often exceeding net income itself, indicating significant non-cash items impacting the cash position. A substantial increase in accounts receivable is observed in March 2022 and again in March 2024, potentially indicating challenges in collecting payments.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was consistently negative, reflecting ongoing capital expenditures and other investments. Capital expenditures remained relatively stable between approximately US$800 million and US$2,500 million per quarter. Significant fluctuations were observed in proceeds from the disposal of businesses, property, plant, and equipment, and in sales and maturities of marketable securities, contributing to the variability in net cash used in investing. A particularly large outflow occurred in December 2022, driven by substantial purchases of marketable securities and acquisitions.
Financing Activities
Net cash flow from financing activities was highly variable, swinging between positive and negative values. Significant outflows were consistently driven by dividends paid and purchases of common stock. Repayments of long-term borrowings also contributed to negative cash flow in many periods. Periods of positive cash flow from financing were often linked to proceeds from long-term borrowings and issuances of common stock. A substantial net outflow was observed in December 2022, largely due to stock repurchases and debt repayments.
Key Trends & Observations
A noticeable trend is the increasing volatility in net income and, consequently, operating cash flow towards the later periods of the observation window. While depreciation and amortization remained relatively consistent, pension and postretirement benefit expenses exhibited significant swings, impacting net income. Changes in working capital, particularly accounts receivable, appear to be a significant driver of fluctuations in operating cash flow. The company consistently utilized cash for investing activities, primarily through capital expenditures. Financing activities were used to manage capital structure, with a consistent pattern of dividend payments and stock repurchases. The effect of exchange rate changes on cash was generally minor, though it did contribute to fluctuations in the net increase/decrease in cash.

Overall, the cash flow statements indicate a company with substantial operating cash generation, but also significant investment and financing activities. The increasing volatility in net income and operating cash flow in recent periods warrants further investigation to understand the underlying drivers and potential implications for future performance.

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