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EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON INC - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

10-K

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 0-13468

EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Washington

 

91-1069248

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 

 

 

1015 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington

 

98104

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

(206) 674-3400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $.01 per share

 

EXPD

 

NASDAQ Global Select Market

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

 

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes No

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing price as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022, was approximately $15,790,525,926.

At February 24, 2023, the number of shares outstanding of registrant’s Common Stock was 154,398,044.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the definitive proxy statement for the Registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

Auditor Firm ID: 185 Auditor Name: KPMG, LLP Auditor Location: Seattle, WA, USA

 


 

EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.

Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022

INDEX

 

 

 

 

 

Page

PART I

 

 

 

 

Item 1

Business

3

 

Item 1A

Risk Factors

16

 

Item 1B

Unresolved Staff Comments

22

 

Item 2

Properties

22

 

Item 3

Legal Proceedings

22

 

Item 4

Mine Safety Disclosures

22

PART II

 

 

 

 

Item 5

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

23

 

Item 6

[Reserved]

25

 

Item 7

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

26

 

Item 7A

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

36

 

Item 8

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

38

 

Item 9

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

39

 

Item 9A

Controls and Procedures

39

 

Item 9B

Other Information

40

 

Item 9C

Disclosures Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections

40

PART III

 

 

 

 

Item 10

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

41

 

Item 11

Executive Compensation

41

 

Item 12

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

41

 

Item 13

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

42

 

Item 14

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

42

PART IV

 

 

 

 

Item 15

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

43

 

Item 16

Form 10-K Summary

45

 

 

Signatures

46

 

 

2.


 

Forward-Looking Statements

In accordance with the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company is making readers aware that forward-looking statements, because they relate to future events, are by their very nature subject to many important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. For additional information about forward-looking statements and for an identification of risk factors and their potential significance, see “Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements Under Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995; Certain Cautionary Statements” immediately preceding Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Item 1A - "Risk Factors" in this report. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements in light of subsequent events or developments.

 

PART I

ITEM 1—BUSINESS

Overview

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (herein referred to as "Expeditors,” the "Company," "we," "us," "our") provides a full suite of global logistics services, offering customers a seamless international network of people and integrated information systems to support the movement and strategic positioning of goods. As a third-party logistics provider, we purchase cargo space from carriers (such as airlines, ocean shipping lines, and trucking lines) on a volume basis and resell that space to our customers. We do not compete for overnight courier or small parcel business and do not own aircraft or ships.

We provide a broad range of transportation services and customer solutions, such as customs brokerage, order management, time-definite transportation, warehousing and distribution, temperature-controlled transit, cargo insurance, specialized cargo monitoring and tracking, and other customized logistics and consulting solutions. In addition, our Project Cargo unit handles special project shipments that move via a single method or combination of air, ocean, and/or ground transportation and generally require a high level of specialized attention because of the unusual size or nature of what is being shipped.

Expeditors' primary services include:

Airfreight Services
Ocean Freight and Ocean Services
Customs Brokerage and Other Services

Airfreight Services: Within airfreight, Expeditors typically acts either as a freight consolidator or as an agent for the airline that carries the shipment. Whether acting as a consolidator or agent, we offer our customers routing expertise, familiarity with local business practices, knowledge of export and import documentation and procedures, the ability to arrange for ancillary services and to assist with securing capacity during periods of high demand.

Solutions within Airfreight Services include:

Airfreight Consolidation: as an airfreight consolidator, Expeditors purchases cargo capacity from airlines on a volume basis and resells that space to our customers at lower rates than what those customers could negotiate directly from the airlines on an individual shipment. Expeditors determines the routing, consolidates shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point, and then selects the airline for transportation to the distribution point, where either we or one of our agents then arranges for the consolidated lot to be broken down into its component shipments and for the transportation of each individual shipment to its final destination.

Airfreight Forwarding: as a freight forwarder, Expeditors receives and forwards individual, unconsolidated shipments, and arranges the transportation with the airline that carries the shipment.

Ocean Freight and Ocean Services: Within ocean services, Expeditors offers three basic services: ocean freight consolidation, direct ocean forwarding, and order management:

3.


 

Ocean freight consolidation: Expeditors, when acting as an ocean freight consolidator, contracts with ocean shipping carriers to obtain transportation for a fixed number of containers between various points during a specified time period at agreed-upon rates. We handle both full container loads as well as Less-than Container Load (LCL) freight, offering a wider range of shipping options and rates than available with the carriers directly. We also generate fees for ancillary services such as the preparation of documentation to comply with local export and import laws.

Direct ocean forwarding: Expeditors acts as the agent when its customer contracts directly with the ocean carrier, and we may receive a commission from the carrier in addition to customer handling fees and ancillary services.

Order management: Expeditors provides a range of order management services including consolidation of cargo from many suppliers in a particular origin into the fewest possible number of containers, putting more product into larger and fewer containers in order to maximize space, minimize cost and help our customers reduce their carbon footprint.

Customs Brokerage and Other Services: Expeditors offers a range of custom solutions, including:

Customs Brokerage and Import Services: Expeditors helps customers clear shipments through customs by preparing and filing required documentation, calculating, and providing for payment of duties and other taxes on behalf of the customer as well as arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and import services such as arranging for local pick up, storage and delivery at destinations. Such services can include screening commercial documentation for assessed value, country of origin, application of special trade programs, and classification. Our target market is primarily comprised of customers looking to reduce the number of customs brokers used, those looking to improve compliance and reporting, and those seeking opportunities to participate in special trade programs globally.

Transcon: Expeditors' Transcon consists of multi-modal, intra-continental ground transportation and delivery services and includes value-added, white glove, and time-definite services.

Warehousing and Distribution Services: Expeditors’ services include inventory management, multi-channel order fulfillment, vendor management programs, and other value-added services. Our warehousing services are generally offered globally in multi-client facilities so that customers may benefit from cost savings related to shared space, labor, equipment, and other efficiencies.

Supply Chain Disruptions and Ongoing COVID-19 Impact on our Business

In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic, including the effect of ongoing quarantine requirements in China and resulting disruptions on supply chains continued to affect our business operations and financial results in particular in the first half of 2022. As experienced in the fourth quarter of 2022, these unprecedented operating conditions dissipated as supply chains operations normalized.

Cyber-Attack Impact on our Business

In February 2022, we determined that our Company was the subject of a targeted cyber-attack which resulted in having to shut down most of our connectivity, operating and accounting systems globally to manage the safety of our entire global systems environment, and we initiated our cybersecurity incident response plan. We had limited ability to conduct operations for a period of approximately three weeks, including but not limited to arranging for shipments of freight or managing customs and distribution activities for our customers’ shipments. While we continued to navigate through the residual effects and incorporate learnings from the cyber-attack, our core systems were utilized to deliver our services from the second quarter and on. We do not expect to have further material adverse impact on the Company’s business from this cyber-attack.

4.


 

Revenues

The following chart shows our 2022 revenues by service type:

 

img51170147_0.jpg 

 

 

The Expeditors Network

Expeditors has approximately 20,000 employees and provides a complete range of global logistics services to a diversified group of customers that vary in size, industry and geographic location. As opportunities for profitable growth arise, we will continue to open new offices where it makes sense to support existing global customers and serve new local markets. As a knowledge-based global provider of logistics services, we have often concluded over the course of our history that it is better to grow organically rather than by acquisition. When we have made acquisitions, it has generally been to obtain technology, increase geographic coverage by acquiring or establishing joint ventures with agents or others within the industry, or gain specialized industry expertise that could be leveraged to benefit our entire network.

Expeditors, including its majority-owned subsidiaries, is organized functionally in geographic operating segments and operates district offices in the regions identified below. Our district offices are defined by geographic boundaries and have been established in locations where Expeditors maintains unilateral control over operations, and where the existence of the parent-subsidiary relationship is maintained by means other than record ownership of voting stock.

Expeditors operates 176 district offices in the following geographic areas of responsibility:

Americas (70)
North Asia (21)
South Asia (16)
Europe (45)
Middle East, Africa and India (24)

We also maintain branch offices, which are aligned with and dependent upon one district office, where practical benefit is gained by having staff located closer to the customers they are serving. Additionally, we contract with independent agents in locations where we do not have our own offices to provide required services for our existing customers. We have established 36 such relationships worldwide.

 

5.


 

At Expeditors, we create our strategy and develop our global products, processes, technology and compliance programs at the corporate level, in order to drive consistency across all levels of the organization. Global consistency and compliance are fundamental to preserving our culture and network of people, processes, technology and locations. We leverage regional and local expertise by staffing our districts principally with local managers and personnel who are from the regions in which they operate and who often have extensive experience in logistics, coupled with a deep understanding of their local market. District offices are responsible for selling and executing Expeditors' products and services directly to customers and are involved in the selection of logistics service providers. Defining our strategy at a global level while executing it at the regional and local levels with customized supply chain solutions enables us to drive consistency and efficiency for our network and customers. We believe that focus on hiring and developing a diverse and talented workforce with an emphasis on exceptional customer service, along with our incentive-based compensation program, enables us to achieve superior financial results and provide for ongoing career advancement opportunities.

Our Culture and Strategy

We believe that our unique culture, at the center of which are our employees, is a critical component to our continued success. We strongly believe that it is nearly impossible to predict events that, individually or in the aggregate, could have a positive or a negative impact on our future operations. As a result, management's focus is on building and maintaining a global corporate culture and an environment where well-trained employees and managers are prepared to identify and react to changes as they develop and thereby help us adapt and thrive as major trends emerge.

Expeditors’ strategic plan is to achieve long-term, sustainable and profitable growth by focusing on the right markets and, within each market, on the right customers that lead to profitable business growth through the aggressive marketing of our service offerings. Innovative solutions, integrated platforms and data quality are vital to achieving a competitive advantage. Our teams are aligned on the specific markets of these focused priorities; on the targeted accounts within those markets; and on ways that we can continue to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. In 2022, we completed a review of our key strategic initiatives, which include:

1.
Ensuring that base-line strategies for air, ocean and customs services for every district office and region lead to growth at the relevant market rates, profits and volumes by services.
2.
Growing our business services into and out of Europe, with particular focus on certain defined markets beyond our base-line growth expectations.
3.
Growing our customs brokerage offering throughout Asia by leveraging our strength and expertise in customs brokerage services and developing critical talent, processes and tools.

Our chief strategy officer continues to oversee all strategy within Expeditors, with a deep focus on exploring new avenues for innovation, differentiation and expansion.

Global Logistics and Supply Chain Technology

Expeditors has long believed that it is a competitive advantage to focus on organic growth and to utilize a single enterprise technology platform designed and built by logistics technology professionals for logistics professionals. Our technology platform is built on principles of innovation, agility, collaboration, performance and consistency across the Expeditors global network to meet diverse and complex global logistics and supply chain needs. The platform is comprised of proprietary, third party and open-source technologies. We utilize a globally-consistent infrastructure supporting both centralized and distributed technology strategies that incorporate security, disaster recovery and high availability.

Expeditors’ technology platform is designed, coded, tested and implemented by the collaborative efforts of our logistics industry and information technology professionals. Internally developing, maintaining and enhancing technology capabilities is in keeping with Expeditors' long-held belief that it not outsource core functions, with information systems being one of those core functions.

We are not dependent on third parties for developing or enhancing our core transportation technology platforms to address our needs or those of our customers. We utilize internally developed and third-party technology to perform our customs brokerage services, to address country and regional specifications. We continuously monitor emerging technologies for potential applicability to our business. Expeditors also believes that having a single, uniform, globally-connected platform driving logistics operations and providing comprehensive visibility and advanced analytics creates greater efficiency and value, particularly as the value of timely data and insights into that data are increasingly important. We are continually enhancing our systems, including significant upgrades to core operating and accounting systems.

6.


 

Tailored Solutions

As a non-asset-based logistics services provider, we have considerable flexibility to tailor customer-specific solutions by product. By understanding a customer's logistics and supply chain processes, strategies, and objectives, we identify targeted areas of opportunity for improvement, and deploy the right services and solutions for that customer. These services include our core product offerings of transportation, customs clearance, warehousing and distribution, and order management, along with expertise in supply chain analysis and optimization, trade compliance consulting, cargo insurance, cargo security, and solutions for oversized and heavy-lift freight. Our trained professional employees deliver these services across the globe through our network of district offices using a common technology platform, in conjunction with consistent and efficient operational processes that adhere to the highest standards of compliance while focusing on the individual needs of each customer.

Because Expeditors is in the business of optimizing our customers’ freight logistics and supply chains, we focus our sales and engagement strategies on professionals in logistics and supply chain management roles inside of customer organizations. While we drive our sales strategies at a global level, district management of each office is responsible for its own business development, operations, and service execution. We also employ dedicated account management staff who work with existing customers to improve operations and grow new business opportunities.

What Expeditors Ships

The goods that Expeditors handles are generally a function of the products that dominate international trade between any particular origin and destination. These goods include products from diverse industries, including electronics, high technology, healthcare, aerospace and aviation, manufacturing, oil and energy, automotive, retail consumer goods and fashion. In order to meet customers' complex and industry-specific demands, we utilize industry vertical teams throughout our network that focus on providing tailored solutions to different industries. Industry vertical teams work closely with our regional and district resources to grow our business. No single customer accounts for five percent or more of our revenues.

Expeditors' Services in Detail

The following describes in more detail the operations of each of Expeditors’ services:

Airfreight Services

Airfreight services accounted for approximately 35% and 41% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2022 and 2021, respectively. When performing airfreight services, we typically act either as a freight consolidator or as an agent for the airline that carries the shipment. When acting as a freight consolidator, we purchase cargo capacity from airlines on a volume basis and resell that space to our customers at lower rates than they could obtain directly from airlines on an individual shipment. We then issue a House Airway Bill (HAWB) to our customers as the contract of carriage and separately, we receive a Master Airway Bill from the airline when the freight is physically tendered. When moving shipments between points where the nature or volume of business does not facilitate consolidation, we receive and forward individual shipments as the agent of the airline that carries the shipment. Whether acting as a consolidator or agent, we offer our customers expertise for optimum routing, familiarity with local business practices, knowledge of export and import documentation and procedures, the ability to arrange for ancillary services, and assistance with securing capacity during periods of high demand.

In our airfreight operations, we receive shipments from our customers, determine the routing, consolidate shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point, and select the airline for transportation to the distribution point. At the distribution point, either we or an Expeditors' agent arranges for the consolidated lot to be broken down into its component shipments and for the transportation of the individual shipments to their final destinations.

We estimate that our average airfreight consolidation weighs approximately 3,900 pounds and that a typical consolidation includes merchandise from several shippers. Because shipment by air is relatively expensive compared with ocean transportation, air shipments are generally characterized by a high value-to-weight ratio, the need for rapid delivery, or both.

 

7.


 

At the origin, Expeditors typically delivers shipments from one of our warehouses to the airline after consolidating the freight into containers or onto pallets. Normally that shipment will then arrive at the destination distribution point within 48 hours from the point of origin. During periods of high demand, available cargo capacity from the scheduled air carriers can be limited and backlogs of freight shipments may occur. When these conditions exist, we may charter aircraft to meet customer demand. In the first half of 2022, as a result of limited availability in passenger aircraft capacity, we utilized chartered aircraft along with commercial capacity. As air travel began to recover in 2022, along with lower demand for air cargo services, we reduced charter activity and anticipate low charter volumes in 2023.

Expeditors consolidates individual shipments based on weight and volume characteristics in cost-effective combinations. Typically, as the weight or volume of a shipment increases, the cost that we charge per pound/kilo or cubic inch/centimeter decreases. The rates charged by airlines also generally decrease as the weight or volume of the shipment increases. As a result, by aggregating shipments and presenting them to an airline as a single shipment, we are able to obtain a lower rate per pound/kilo or cubic inch/centimeter than what is charged for an individual shipment, while generally offering the customer a lower rate than could be obtained directly from the airline for an unconsolidated shipment.

Our airfreight revenues less directly related costs of transportation and other expenses for a consolidated shipment include the differential between the rate that the airline charges Expeditors and the rate that we, in turn, charge our customers, in addition to commissions that the airline pays us and fees that we charge our customers for ancillary services. Such ancillary services we provide include preparation of shipping and customs documentation, packing, crating, insurance services, negotiation of letters of credit, and the preparation of documentation to comply with local export laws.

Expeditors' management believes that owning aircraft would subject us to undue business risks, including large capital outlays, increased fixed operating expenses, exposure to volatile fuel prices, problems of fully utilizing aircraft and competition with our service providers - the airlines. Because we rely on commercial airlines to transport our shipments, our business may be adversely affected by changes in carrier financial stability, policies and practices such as pricing, payment terms, scheduling, capacity and frequency of service.

Many passenger air carriers continue to recover from significant cash flow challenges and record operating losses incurred in 2020 and 2021. Uncertainty over recovery of demand for transpacific passenger air travel compared to pre-pandemic levels and uncertainty related to jet fuel cost may impact air carriers’ operations and financial stability long term. This environment requires that we be selective in determining which carriers to utilize. Carriers' financial results will continue to drive their asset acquisition and deployment strategies, which will impact airfreight pricing and capacity. Most of Expeditors' customers are focused on improving supply-chain efficiency, reducing overall logistics costs by negotiating lower rates and utilizing ocean freight whenever possible. We expect these trends to continue in conjunction with carriers' efforts to manage available capacity and the evolution of consumer purchasing behavior, such as online shopping. Changes in available capacity, periods of high or low demand, or other market disruptions has impacted and could continue to impact our buy and sell rates and challenge our ability to maintain historical unitary profitability.

Ocean Freight and Ocean Services

Ocean freight services accounted for approximately 38% and 34% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2022 and 2021, respectively. We operate Expeditors International Ocean, Inc. (EIO), an Ocean Transportation Intermediary, sometimes referred to as a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC), which specializes in ocean freight services in most major trade lanes in the world. EIO also provides service, on a smaller scale, to and from any location where we have an office or an agent. Ocean freight services are comprised of three basic services: ocean freight consolidation, direct ocean forwarding and order management.

Ocean freight consolidation: As an NVOCC, EIO contracts with ocean shipping lines to obtain transportation for a fixed number of containers between various points during a specified time period at an agreed rate. EIO provides full container load services to companies that need flexibility and access to vessel capacity that they may not necessarily achieve by dealing directly with the shipping lines. Additionally, EIO supports customers that prefer to supplement their carrier strategy with an NVOCC. EIO also leverages the Expeditors global gateway network for the movement of LCL freight for customers needing to ship smaller consignments via ocean. EIO issues a House Ocean Bill of Lading (HOBL) or a House Seaway Bill to customers as the contract of carriage and receives a separate Master Ocean Bill of Lading (MOBL) when freight is physically tendered. Revenues from fees charged to customers for ancillary services that EIO may provide include the preparation of shipping and customs documentation, packing, crating, insurance services, and the preparation of documentation to comply with local export and import laws. We also charter vessels to support both our customers’ special projects and our container capacity needs.

 

8.


 

Direct ocean forwarding: When the customer contracts directly with the ocean carrier, EIO acts as an agent of the customer and derives its revenues from commissions paid by the ocean carrier and handling fees paid by the customer. In such arrangements, EIO does not issue a HOBL or House Seaway Bill. Rather, the carrier issues a MOBL directly to the customer who employs EIO to create documentation, manage shipment information and arrange various services to facilitate the shipment of goods. The MOBL shows the customer as the shipper.

Order management: Order management provides services that manage origin consolidation, supplier performance, carrier allocation, carrier performance, container management, document management, delivery management and Order/SKU visibility through our web-based portal. Customers have the ability to monitor and report against near real-time status of orders from the date of creation through final delivery. Item quantities, required ship dates, required delivery dates, commodity descriptions, estimated vs. actual ex-factory dates, container utilization, document creation and visibility are many of the managed functions that are visible and reportable via our web-based portal. Order management is available for various modes of transportation, including ocean, air, truck and rail. Order management revenues are derived from services provided to the shipper, as well as management fees associated with managing order execution against customer specific rules. One basic function of order management involves arranging cargo from many suppliers in a particular origin and “consolidating” these shipments into the fewest possible number of containers to maximize space utilization and minimize cost. Through origin consolidation, customers can reduce the number of containers shipped by putting more product in larger and fewer containers.

Prior to 2021, many ocean carriers incurred substantial operating losses, and are still highly leveraged with debt. Multiple carrier acquisitions and alliances have occurred, and certain carriers are entering into onshore services as they pursue scale and additional market share in an effort to improve profitability. Ocean carriers have improved their management of capacity relative to demand in recent years. Demand for ocean transportation increased sharply in the second half of 2020 and remained strong through the first half of 2022, resulting in severe port congestion and supply chain disruptions, in particular on transpacific and Asia-to-Europe trade lanes. This created operational challenges for carriers including their ability to maintain sailing schedules. Imbalances between available capacity and demand for transportation and port congestion started to ease in the second quarter of 2022. Carriers also face changes in regulatory requirements such as requiring reductions in the sulfur in marine fuel, which are increasing their operating and capital costs. Consequently, when the market goes through seasonal peaks or any sort of disruption and demand exceeds supply, the carriers react by increasing their pricing as quickly as possible to offset their previous losses. This carrier behavior, along with fluctuations in demand, creates pricing volatility that could impact Expeditors' ability to maintain historical unitary profitability.

Expeditors’ pricing is based on contract negotiations each year with our global carrier partners. Our pricing model is flexible. We purchase based on customer needs, and our carrier strategy determines our volume and pricing commitments. Fixed pricing arrangements are entered into for a portion of our forecasted commitments, while spot market pricing arrangements are typically negotiated at the regional and local levels.

We offer our customers a wide carrier footprint globally to meet their changing needs. With fewer global carriers than in the past, maintaining close relationships with our carrier partners allows us to meet our customers’ space requirements throughout the year, including during peak periods.

Customs Brokerage and Other Services

Customs brokerage and other services accounted for approximately 27% and 25% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2022 and 2021, respectively. As a customs broker, we assist our customers in clearing shipments through customs by preparing and filing required information and documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties and other taxes on behalf of the customer, arranging required inspections by governmental agencies, and providing import services such as pick up, storage and delivery services at destinations. We provide customs brokerage services in conjunction with transportation services or independently. Expeditors supports regulatory compliance and visibility to the supply chain through process and system controls, technology, and licensed and trained professional oversight. We offer a customized, solutions-based approach to our customers, based on the complexity of their business. Our pricing reflects this complexity and scope, in addition to the number of declarations filed.

We also provide other value-added services within our network, such as warehousing and distribution, Transcon and consulting services. Expeditors' warehousing and distribution services include inventory management, multi-channel order fulfillment, vendor management programs and other industry-specific, value-added services. Our warehousing services are generally offered in facilities utilized by multiple customers so that customers may benefit from cost savings related to shared space, labor, equipment and other efficiencies. Expeditors' Transcon consists of multi-modal, intra-continental ground transportation and delivery services and includes value-added, white glove, and time-definite services. Expeditors responds to customer-driven trade compliance consulting services requests primarily through Tradewin. Fees for these non-transactional services are based upon hourly billing rates and bids for mutually agreed-upon projects.

9.


 

Human Capital

Opportunities for employees and positive work environment

Expeditors’ most important asset is its employees. The cornerstone of our company culture is the professional growth and development of our employees. From the inception of our company, management has inherently understood that the elements required for a successful global service organization can only be assured through recruiting, training and ultimately retaining knowledgeable and experienced personnel. We believe that our greatest challenge is now, and always has been, perpetuating a consistent global corporate culture that requires:

Total dedication to providing superior customer service;
Compliance with our policies and procedures and government regulations;
A positive, safe work environment that is diverse, inclusive and free from discrimination and harassment;
Ongoing mentoring and development of key employees and management personnel;
Creation of unlimited advancement opportunities for employees dedicated to hard work, personal growth and continuous improvement with a focus on promotion from within;
Training, development and engagement programs that ensure that our employees understand and remain connected to Expeditors culture and strategic initiatives;
Individual commitment to the identification and mentoring of successors for every key position so that when change occurs, a qualified and well-trained internal candidate is ready to step forward;
Continuous identification, design and implementation of system solutions and differentiated service offerings, both technological and otherwise, that place employees in a position to be successful in meeting and exceeding the needs of customers; and
Focus on developing processes and technological solutions that maximize the engagement, efficiency and effectiveness of our employees.

We believe in creating and maintaining a positive work environment for employees. That commitment is supported by policies designed to promote fairness and equitable treatment and our supervisors and managers are charged with the responsibility of setting positive examples and providing mentoring with a focus on the importance of compliance. We promote equal employment opportunity and have policies that expressly prohibit unacceptable behaviors, including harassment, intimidation or discrimination of any kind based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

To protect our employees, we are committed to maintaining secure business operations globally by following our well-established security standards, maintained and deployed by our Health and Safety team, as well as applicable health and safety laws and regulation. We have mechanisms in place to report accidents, injuries and unsafe working conditions.

As a knowledge-based organization we focus on employees’ professional development through regular performance reviews and training, including mandatory trainings related to compliance; ethics, health and security; specific certifications where required to perform certain duties; supervising skills and development of succession plans of key employees.

Compensation and retention

We reinforce these values with a compensation system that rewards employees for profitably managing the things they can control. This incentive-based compensation system has been in place since we became a publicly traded company. There is no limit to how much a key employee can earn for success. We believe in a “real world” environment where the employees of our operating units are held accountable for the profit implications of their decisions. If these decisions result in operating losses, management generally must make up these losses with future operating profits, in the aggregate, before any cash incentive compensation can be earned. Executive management, in limited circumstances, makes exceptions at the branch operating unit level. At the same time, our policies, processes and relevant training focus on such things as cargo management, risk mitigation, compliance, sound business decisions, accounts receivable collection, cash flow and credit soundness in an attempt to help managers avoid the kinds of errors that might end a career. To retain the services of highly qualified, experienced, and motivated employees, we place considerable emphasis on our incentive-based compensation programs.

10.


 

Since our business is service based, we believe that employee retention remains critical to our long-term success. We evaluate our ability to engage and retain employees by monitoring turnover rates, percentage of positions filled internally, and by regularly conducting employee satisfaction surveys to identify opportunities where we can improve.

Geographically diverse workforce

At December 31, 2022, Expeditors employed approximately 20,000 people, of which approximately 13,000 were employed in international locations. We believe that focus on hiring and developing a diverse and talented workforce coupled with our incentive-based compensation program, enables us to provide exceptional service and superior financial results. We need to leverage regional and local expertise by staffing our districts principally with local managers and personnel who are from the regions in which they operate and who have extensive experience in logistics, coupled with a deep understanding of their local market. This results in a highly talented, inclusive and multi-cultural global workforce that reflects the diverse regions that we serve. Because our business involves shipments between districts and typically touches more than one geographic area, our success requires a high degree of communication and cooperation among our employees globally.

District Managers are key individuals in our Company as sales, operational execution and business and expenditure decisions necessary to service our customers are the responsibility of management at each district. The vast majority of our employees are based in our operational districts, geographically distributed as shown below. We have summarized the number of employees based on individual headcount as of December 31, 2022 as follows:

 

 

Employee Count as of December 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

7,000

 

Other North America

 

 

1,700

 

Latin America

 

 

850

 

North Asia

 

 

2,450

 

South Asia

 

 

1,800

 

Europe

 

 

4,200

 

Middle East, Africa and India

 

 

1,900

 

Total

 

 

19,900

 

Competition

The global logistics services industry is intensely competitive and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. There are a large number of companies competing in one or more segments of the industry, but the number of firms with a global network that offer a full complement of logistics services is more limited. Certain air and ocean carriers are entering into onshore services as they pursue more profitable and less commoditized market segments to provide balance against their incumbent asset-based offerings. Further, there are new technology-based competitors that have entered the industry with substantial capital funding, with the intent to compete on a global level. Some of our competitors have significantly more resources than Expeditors. Depending on the location of the shipper and the importer, Expeditors must compete against both the niche players and larger entities. The industry continues to experience consolidations into larger firms striving for stronger and more complete multinational and multi-service networks. However, regional and local competitors still maintain a strong presence in certain markets.

The primary competitive factors in the global logistics services industry continue to be price and quality of service, including reliability, responsiveness, expertise, convenience and scope of operations. Expeditors emphasizes quality customer service, underscored by a strong commitment to compliance, and believes that our prices are competitive with the prices of others in the industry.

Larger customers utilize the services of multiple logistics providers and implement sophisticated and efficient procedures for the management of their logistics and supply chains by embracing strategies such as just-in-time delivery, network optimization, transportation flow optimization, and process improvement. Accordingly, timely and accurate data integrated into customer service capabilities is a significant factor in attracting and retaining customers. Expeditors supports our customers in these strategies through digital products that provide quoting, booking, freight tracing and tracking, customized reporting, data analytics, and solution modeling/simulation/optimization. We can further extend support for these customer strategies through our order management and customs brokerage products and related digital solutions. These digital products and solutions can be delivered through Electronic Data Interface (EDI), Application Programming Interfaces (API), and browser-based web applications or mobile applications.

11.


 

COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions have had a profound impact on a large number of customers across different industries, and many companies are now exploring options to build a strategy around supply chain resiliency, agility, sourcing, and inventory optimization. While our customers’ supply chain strategies may shift as a result of current conditions, we believe that the industry will remain highly competitive with a mix of large, niche, and new entrants, competing aggressively for customers’ business.

Expeditors' management believes that the ability to develop and deliver innovative solutions to meet our customers’ increasingly sophisticated supply chain requirements is a critical factor in our ongoing success. We devote significant resources towards the maintenance and enhancement of technology and digital solutions in order to meet these customer demands. Management believes that our existing systems are competitive with the systems currently in use by other logistics services companies with which we compete.

Unlike many of our competitors, who have tended to grow by merger and acquisition, Expeditors operates fully integrated transportation, customs brokerage, and accounting systems, running on a common hardware platform, in all of our full-service locations. Small and middle-tier competitors, in general, do not have the resources available to develop and integrate these customized systems. Historically, growth through aggressive acquisition has proven to be a challenge for many of our competitors and

typically involves the purchase of significant “goodwill.” In contrast, Expeditors has pursued a strategy emphasizing organic growth supplemented by certain strategic acquisitions.

Our ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified personnel with experience in global logistics services is an essential, if not the most important, element of Expeditors' ability to compete in the industry. To this end, we have adopted incentive compensation programs that make percentages of an operating unit's revenues and operating income available to managers for distribution among key personnel. We believe that these incentive compensation programs, combined with our experienced personnel and our ability to coordinate global marketing and business development efforts, provide a distinct competitive advantage.

Dependence on Service Providers

In addition, our ability to provide services to our customers is highly dependent on good working relationships with a variety of entities, including airlines, ocean carrier lines, ground transportation providers and governmental agencies. The significance of maintaining acceptable working relationships with these entities has gained increased importance as a result of the effect of the pandemic, ongoing concern over terrorism, security, changes in governmental regulation and oversight of international trade. We use a consistent approach in selecting and managing service providers across all of our product offerings, beginning with a rigorous qualification and risk-based diligence process. We select and engage with best-in-class, compliance-focused, efficiently run, growth-oriented partners, based upon defined value elements and are intentional in our relationship and performance management activity, reinforcing success by awarding service providers who consistently achieve at the highest levels with additional business. We consider our current working relationships with these entities to be satisfactory. However, changes in the financial stability and operating capabilities and capacity of asset-based carriers, capacity allotments available from carriers, governmental regulation or deregulation efforts, modernization of the regulations governing customs brokerage, and/or changes in governmental restrictions, quota restrictions or trade accords could affect our business in unpredictable ways.

Currency and Inflation

Our worldwide operations require that we transact in a multitude of currencies other than the U.S. dollar. That exposes us to the inherent risks of volatile international currency markets and governmental interference. Some of the countries where we maintain offices and/or have agency relationships maintain strict currency control regulations that influence our ability to hedge foreign currency exposure. We try to compensate for these exposures by accelerating international currency settlements among our offices or agents.

Historically, our business has not been adversely affected by inflation. However, starting in 2021, many countries including the United States experienced higher inflation than in recent years. In 2021 and continuing into 2022, our business has experienced rising labor costs, significant service provider rate increases, higher rent and occupancy and other expenses. Due to the high degree of competition in the marketplace we may not be able to increase our prices to our customers to offset this inflationary pressure, which could lead to an erosion in our margins and operating income in the future. Conversely, raising our prices to keep pace with inflationary pressure may result in a decrease in customer demand.

 

12.


 

Seasonality

Historically, our operating results have been subject to seasonal demand trends, with the first quarter being the weakest and the third and fourth quarters being the strongest; however, there is no assurance that this seasonal trend will occur in the future or to what degree it was impacted in 2022 by the downtime caused by the cyber-attack, impacts of a slowing economy and the continued effects of the pandemic. This historical pattern has been the result of, or influenced by, numerous factors, including weather patterns, national holidays, consumer demand, new product launches, just-in-time inventory models, economic conditions, pandemics, governmental policies, and inter-governmental disputes and a myriad of other similar and subtle forces. We cannot accurately forecast many of these factors, nor can we estimate accurately the relative influence of any particular factor and, as a result, there can be no assurance that historical patterns will continue in future periods.

Government Regulations

Transportation and Customs Brokerage

With respect to activities in the air transportation industry in the United States, Expeditors is subject to regulation by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an indirect air carrier. All United States indirect air carriers must maintain prescribed security procedures and are subject to periodic audits by TSA. Our overseas offices and agents are licensed as airfreight forwarders in their respective countries of operation. Each Expeditors office is licensed, or, in the case of our newer offices, has applied for a license as an airfreight forwarder from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a voluntary association of airlines and air transport related entities that prescribes specific operating procedures for airfreight forwarders acting as agents for its members. The majority of our airfreight forwarding business is conducted with airlines that are IATA members.

Expeditors is licensed as an Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) (sometimes referred to as an NVOCC) by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). The FMC has established specific qualifications for shipping agents, including certain surety bonding requirements. The FMC is also responsible for the economic regulation of OTI/NVOCC activity originating or terminating in the United States. To comply with these economic regulations, OTI/NVOCCs, such as Expeditors, must file tariffs electronically, establishing the rates to be charged for the movement of specified commodities into and out of the United States. The FMC has the power to enforce these regulations by assessing penalties.

Expeditors is licensed as a customs broker by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency of DHS, nationally and in each U.S. customs district in which we do business. All United States customs brokers must maintain prescribed records and are subject to periodic audits by CBP. In other jurisdictions in which Expeditors performs customs clearance services, we are licensed by the appropriate governmental authority where such license is required to perform these services. Expeditors participates in various governmental supply chain security programs, such as the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS), the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) in the United States, and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs in other countries. Additionally, Expeditors is subject to additional regulatory and licensing requirements in the countries where we operate.

Business operations

We do not believe the current United States and foreign governmental regulations impose significant economic restraint upon our business operations. In general, Expeditors conducts business activities in each country through a wholly or majority-owned subsidiary corporation that is organized and existing under the laws of that country. However, the regulations of foreign governments can impose barriers to our ability to provide the full range of our business activities in a wholly or majority United States-owned subsidiary. For example, foreign ownership of a customs brokerage business is prohibited in some jurisdictions. Less frequently, the ownership of the licenses required for freight forwarding and/or freight consolidation is restricted to local entities. When we encounter this sort of governmental restriction, we work to establish a legal structure that meets the local regulations’ requirements while also providing the substantive operating and economic advantages available in the absence of such regulation. This can be accomplished by creating a joint venture or exclusive agency relationship with a qualified local entity that holds the required license.

 

13.


 

The continuing global threats from pandemics, terrorism, cyber-attacks, smuggling, wars, and governments’ overriding concern for the safety of passengers and citizens who import and export goods into and out of their respective countries, have resulted in a proliferation of cargo security and other regulations. Many of these regulations are complex and require varying degrees of interpretation. While these regulations have already created a marked difference in the security and other arrangements necessary to move shipments around the globe, regulations are expected to become more stringent in the future. As governments look for ways to tighten border controls and minimize the exposure of their citizens to contagious diseases, criminal elements and potential terror-related incidents, our competitors in the transportation business and we may be required to incorporate security and other procedures within our respective scope of services to a far greater degree than has been required in the past. We believe that increased security and additional requirements may involve further investments in technology and more sophisticated screening procedures being applied to cargo, customers, vendors, and employees. Expeditors' position is that any increased cost of compliance with security regulations will be passed through to beneficiaries of our services.

Environmental

In the United States, we are subject to Federal, state, and local laws aimed at protecting the environment, including provisions regulating the discharge of materials and emissions into the environment. Similar laws apply in many other jurisdictions in which we operate. Although our current operations have not been significantly affected by compliance with these environmental laws, an increasing number of governments, service providers and customers are becoming sensitive to environmental issues.

While further government regulation related to climate change is under consideration by various levels of governments internationally and in the United States, Expeditors is committed to systematic efforts to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and assisting our customers in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. We have employee-led Green Teams which cover most of our local district offices and are responsible for projects focused on environmental sustainability, including reducing waste, energy consumption, and Expeditors' Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 1 emissions include all direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the company; Scope 2 includes indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat or steam consumed by the company). We have voluntarily disclosed our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data to CDP since 2010. We are also attentive to our Scope 3 emissions (as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 3 emissions include all other indirect GHG emissions that are a consequence of the activities of the company, but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the company).

We cannot predict what impact future environmental regulations may have on our business. We monitor climate-related risks and opportunities through our engagement with our customers and service providers and through our active participation in key initiatives and organizations focused on climate. For example, we are a SmartWay and Transporte Limpio Partner company in North America. SmartWay is a voluntary public-private program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for tracking, documenting, and sharing information about fuel use and freight emissions across supply chains. Transporte Limpio is a similar, voluntary program sponsored by the Mexican government.

Cargo Liability

When acting as an airfreight consolidator, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (22 Special Drawing Rights [SDRs] per kilo unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge), except in the absence of an appropriate airway bill. The airline that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent. Generally, when acting solely as the agent of the shipper, we do not assume any contractual liability for loss or damage to shipments tendered to the carrier.

When acting as an ocean freight consolidator, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (generally between $500 and 667 SDRs per package or customary freight unit unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge). The ocean carrier that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent. Generally, we do not assume liability for lost or damaged shipments in our ocean freight forwarding and customs clearance operations.

When providing ground transportation services as a carrier, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (generally between $0.50 per pound and 8.33 SDRs per kilo, although the released value can vary from country to country) unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge. The ground carrier that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent.

14.


 

When providing warehousing and distribution services, our legal liability is limited by contract and tariff to an amount generally equal to the lower of the value of the goods or $0.50 per pound with a maximum of $50 per “lot” — which is defined as the smallest unit that the warehouse is required to track.

We maintain cargo legal liability insurance covering claims for losses attributable to missing or damaged shipments for which we are legally liable. Expeditors also maintains insurance coverage for the property of others that is stored in our warehouse facilities. This insurance coverage is provided by a Vermont, U.S.-based insurance entity wholly owned by Expeditors. The coverage is fronted and re-insured by a global insurance company. The total risk retained by Expeditors in 2022 was $5 million. In addition, we are licensed as an insurance broker through our subsidiary, Expeditors Cargo Insurance Brokers, Inc., and place cargo insurance coverage for other customers. In certain circumstances, Expeditors will assume additional limited liability.

Information about our Executive Officers

The following table sets forth the names, ages, and positions of current executive officers of our company.

 

Name

 

Age

 

Position

Jeffrey S. Musser

 

57

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Daniel R. Wall

 

54

 

President, Global Services

Richard H. Rostan

 

66

 

President, Global Geographies and Operations

Blake R. Bell

 

51

 

President, Global Products

Bradley S. Powell

 

62

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Christopher J. McClincy

 

48

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Benjamin G. Clark

 

54

 

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer

Jeffrey F. Dickerman

 

47

 

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

 

Jeffrey S. Musser joined Expeditors in February 1983 and was promoted to District Manager in October 1989. Mr. Musser was elected to Regional Vice President in September 1999, Senior Vice President - Chief Information Officer in January 2005 and to Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer in May 2009. On December 19, 2013, Mr. Musser was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer and was elected by the Board of Directors as a director, effective March 1, 2014.

Daniel R. Wall joined Expeditors in March 1987 and was promoted to District Manager in May 1992 and Global Director-Account Management in March 2002. Mr. Wall was elected Vice President - ECMS in January 2004 and Senior Vice President - Ocean Services in September 2004. In June 2015, Mr. Wall was appointed as President, Global Products. Mr. Wall was appointed as President, Global Services, effective January 1, 2023.

Richard H. Rostan joined Expeditors in August 1985 and was promoted to District Manager in March 1987, Regional Vice President in January 1993, Senior Vice President of Global Distribution in July 2012 and Senior Vice President, Americas in January 2015. Mr. Rostan was promoted to Executive Vice President, Americas in July 2015. Mr. Rostan was promoted to President of Global Geographies and Operations, effective February 28, 2017.

Blake R. Bell joined Expeditors in September 1995 and was promoted to District Manager in January 2001. Mr. Bell was elected to Regional Vice President in May 2014, and Senior Vice President of Global Transcon in October 2015. On February 17, 2023, Mr. Bell was promoted as President, Global Products.

Bradley S. Powell joined Expeditors as Chief Financial Officer in October 2008 and was elected Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in February 2012. Prior to joining Expeditors, Mr. Powell served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Eden Bioscience Corporation, a publicly-traded biotechnology company, from December 2006 to September 2008 and as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from July 1998 to December 2006.

Christopher J. McClincy joined Expeditors in July 1998 and was promoted to Vice President - Information Services in April 2009. In February 2014, Mr. McClincy was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer.

 

15.


 

Benjamin G. Clark joined Expeditors in February 2015 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, was appointed Corporate Secretary in May 2015 and was appointed to Chief Strategy Officer in January 2020. From January 2014 until joining Expeditors, Mr. Clark served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Dematic Group, a global provider of intelligent intralogistics and materials handling solutions. Prior to his experience with Dematic, Mr. Clark spent four years as the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the publicly traded Celanese Corporation, a global technologies and specialty materials company. From 2002 to 2009 Mr. Clark worked for Honeywell International, Inc., where he held progressively responsible roles concluding as the Vice President and General Counsel, Aerospace Global Operations.

Jeffrey F. Dickerman joined Expeditors in October 2004 as Associate Corporate Counsel and became Corporate Counsel in 2007. Mr. Dickerman became Director, Global Legal Services in 2011 and Vice President and Associate General Counsel in 2015. In 2019, Mr. Dickerman became Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. In January 2020, Mr. Dickerman was appointed to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and was appointed Corporate Secretary in May 2020. Prior to joining Expeditors, Mr. Dickerman was an Associate Attorney at Stoel Rives LLP.

Available Information

Our internet address is http://www.expeditors.com. We make available free of charge through our internet website Expeditors' annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are also available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov. The information contained on or accessible through Expeditors' website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the following factors, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations in future periods. The risks described below are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations in future periods.

COVID-19 Risks

COVID-19 significantly impacted worldwide economic conditions and global trade and may continue to have a disruptive effect on our operations, and the operations of our service providers and our customers, which may further impact our business.

We may be impacted by residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or a new and similarly disruptive global health emergency. In early 2020, COVID-19 was declared a global health emergency and later declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, prompting governments around the world to mandate lockdowns and other restrictions that had direct impacts on international trade. The COVID-19 pandemic and various government reactions to it contributed to shortages of labor and capacity, and increased costs that continue to impact our operations. While many of the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased or discontinued entirely, various protocols and policies continue to be implemented or contemplated in early 2023, as a resurgence of COVID-19 remains a possibility. There is no guarantee that a continuation or resurgence of COVID-19 or a variant, or a similarly disruptive health emergency, would impact us similar to how COVID-19 has impacted our operations since 2020. Any significant disruption on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic over an extended period could negatively affect our business and our financial results. Such a disruption could also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described below.

We rely on service providers, such as air, ocean and ground freight carriers, and if they become financially unstable or have reduced capacity to provide service because of COVID-19 or other factors, it may adversely impact our business and operating results.

As a non-asset-based provider of global logistics services, Expeditors depends on a variety of carriers and other service providers, including air, ocean and ground freight carriers. The quality and profitability of our services depend upon effective selection and oversight of our service providers. During the pandemic, air carriers have been particularly affected having to cancel flights due to travel restrictions resulting in dramatic drops in revenues, historical losses, high leverage and liquidity challenges. Uncertainty over recovery of demand for passenger air travel, in particular business travel, to pre-pandemic levels means air carriers’ operations and financial stability may be adversely affected long term. Additionally, several industry service providers, including ocean carriers, have consolidated, with the potential for more to occur in the future. Disruptions such as COVID-19 place significant stress on our air, ocean and freight ground carriers, as well as other service providers, which may result in reduced carrier capacity or availability, pricing volatility or more limited carrier transportation schedules and other services that we utilize, which could adversely impact our operations and financial results.

16.


 

Global economic uncertainty impacted trade and could affect demand for our services or the financial stability of our service providers and customers.

The global economy entered a recession as a result of the pandemic, which initially affected trade and negatively affected demand for our services for a period of time, before rebounding in 2021 and continuing into 2022. Future unfavorable economic conditions, rising interest rates and high inflation could result in lower freight volumes, reduced sell rates, higher operating expenses and may adversely affect Expeditors' revenues, operating results and cash flows. These conditions, should they occur for an extended period of time, could adversely affect our customers and service providers. Should our customers’ ability to pay deteriorate, additional credit losses may be incurred.

Industry Risks

Any reduction in international commerce or disruption in global trade may adversely impact our business and operating results.

Expeditors primarily provides services to customers engaged in international commerce. Everything that affects international trade has the potential to expand or contract our primary market and adversely impact our operating results. For example, international trade is influenced by:

currency exchange rates and currency control regulations;
interest rate fluctuations;
changes and uncertainties in governmental policies and inter-governmental disputes, which could result in increased tariff rates, quota restrictions, trade barriers and other types of restrictions;
changes in and application of international and domestic customs, trade and security regulations;
wars, strikes, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, and other conflicts;
changes in labor and other costs, including the impacts of inflation;
increased global concerns regarding working conditions and environmental sustainability;
changes in consumer attitudes regarding goods made in countries other than their own;
changes in availability of credit; and
changes in the price and readily available quantities of oil and other petroleum-related products.

Our industry is highly competitive, and failure to compete or respond to customer requirements could damage our business and results of operations.

The global logistics services industry is intensely competitive and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. There are a large number of companies competing in one or more segments of the industry, but the number of firms with a global network that offer a full complement of logistics services is more limited. Nevertheless, many of these competitors have significantly more resources than Expeditors and may pursue acquisition opportunities and are developing new technologies to gain competitive advantages. Depending on the location of the shipper and the importer, we must compete against niche players, larger entities including carriers, and emerging technology companies. The primary competitive factors are price and quality of service. Many larger customers utilize the services of multiple logistics providers. Customers regularly solicit bids from competitors in order to improve service and to secure favorable pricing and contractual terms such as: longer payment terms; fixed-price arrangements; higher or unlimited liability limits; heightened cybersecurity and data privacy obligations; and performance penalties. Increased competition and competitors' acceptance of expanded contractual terms coupled with customers’ dissatisfaction with elevated rates, scarce capacity, and extended transit times could result in loss of business, reduced revenues, reduced margins, higher operating costs or loss of market share, any of which would damage our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

 

17.


 

Operational Risks

We are dependent on our personnel and any inability to hire, develop or retain our key employees may have a negative impact on our operations.

In the long term, identifying, recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining employees is essential to our ability to operate and deliver our services, ability to grow and ultimately our future profitability. The global pandemic caused disruptions to our work environment by requiring the majority of employees to work remotely during the height of the pandemic. As pandemic restrictions eased, we required employees to return to the office. As a result, for those individuals that prefer working remotely, we may experience a higher degree of turnover of key employees and lower employee satisfaction in the near future. Further, this could inhibit our ability to identify, recruit, and hire new employees over time. We cannot predict how this may affect employees’ habits, preferences nor the impact it may have on our Company’s culture and our ability to continue to retain and attract talented employees who have become accustomed to a remote work environment. Additionally, we may incur higher compensation-related expense to recruit and retain and incur additional significant expense to hire third parties to perform tasks that have historically been performed by our employees.

We believe that our compensation programs are among the unique characteristics responsible for differentiating our performance from that of many of our competitors. Significant changes to compensation programs or significant declines in our operating income or operating losses could impact our ability to attract and retain key personnel.

Effective succession planning is an important element of our programs. Failure to ensure an effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees could adversely affect our business by hindering our ability to execute our business strategies and impacting our level of service. We must continue to develop and retain management personnel to address issues of succession planning.

The pandemic caused significant disruptions in global supply chain operations that were further exacerbated by congestion at destination ports and shortages of equipment, labor and warehouse space. In response to these conditions, we hired additional employees in 2021 and 2022 to be able to service customers and navigate through these challenges. Though these disruptions substantially cleared by the fourth quarter of 2022, our number of employees at December 31, 2022, remain at historically high levels.

In the short term, any reductions in our workforce could result in significant additional expenses. Conversely, a failure to reduce compensation expense and other expenses in periods when the business environment does not support our workforce level will result in substantially lower compensation earned by the majority of employees. This may challenge our ability to retain and attract key employees to conduct our business successfully. We cannot predict how management’s responses to these challenges will ultimately impact our Company culture, financial position, results of operations and cash flows nor our ability to successfully attract and retain key employees in the future.

We rely heavily upon the flexibility and sophistication of the technologies used in our core business and failure to properly manage, enhance and update technologies could lead to disruptions in our operations or our ability to remain competitive.

Expeditors relies heavily and must compete based upon the flexibility and sophistication of the technologies utilized in performing our core businesses. Future results depend on our success in developing competitive and reliable systems to address the needs of our customers and suppliers. Development and maintenance of these systems must be accomplished in a cost-effective manner and support the use of secure protocols, including integration and availability of third-party technology. We are continually enhancing our systems, including significant upgrades to core operating and accounting systems. These efforts are inherently complex and if not managed properly could lead to disruptions in our operations or our ability to remain competitive.

Any significant disruptions to our network and systems continuity could have an adverse impact to our business and financial results.

As Expeditors, our customers and suppliers continue to increase reliance on systems, and as additional features are added, the risks also increase. Any significant disruptions to our global systems or the internet for any reason, which could include equipment or network failures; co-location facility failures; power outages; sabotage; employee error or other actions; cyber-attacks or other security breaches; reliance on third party technology; geo-political activity or natural disasters; all of which could have a material negative effect on our results. In February 2022, we were the subject of a targeted cyber-attack. Upon discovering the incident, we shut down most of our operating systems globally to manage the safety of our overall global systems environment. This shutdown and any such future events will result in loss of revenue; business disruptions (such as the inability to timely process shipments); and significant remediation costs. This cyber-attack, or any future cyber-attack could also result in increased vulnerability to attempts of fraud, legal claims and proceedings including potential breach of contract claims, reporting delays or errors; interference with regulatory reporting; an increase in costs to protect our systems and technology; or damage to our reputation.

18.


 

We rely on service providers, including air, ocean, ground freight carriers and others, and if they have insufficient capacity available relative to market demand, or reduce our capacity allotments, it may adversely impact our business and operating results.

As a non-asset-based provider of global logistics services, Expeditors depends on a variety of carriers and other service providers, including air, ocean and ground freight carriers. Our ability to deliver our services depends on service providers having sufficient capacity available to purchase. When market demand significantly exceeds available capacity in a given market, which was the case for various services and markets at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and that continued through the first half of 2022, we may not always be able to find acceptable transportation or other service solutions to meet our customers’ needs or the routing and delivery of freight may be subject to delays that are outside of our control. Quality customer service is a key element of the Company’s success, and such challenges in meeting our customers’ needs and requirements may result in loss of business and consequently negatively affect our operating results.

Failure to grow and gain profitable market share could adversely impact our ability to remain competitive and could adversely impact our business.

Expeditors has historically relied primarily upon organic growth and has tended to avoid growth through acquisition. Future results will depend upon our ability to anticipate and adapt to constantly evolving supply chain requirements and innovations. To continue to grow organically, we must gain profitable market share in a highly competitive environment and successfully develop and market new service offerings. When investment opportunities arise, our success could be dependent on our ability to evaluate and integrate acquisitions.

Any disruption of our business caused by a catastrophic event, could harm our ability to conduct normal business operations and impact our operating results.

A disruption or failure of Expeditors' systems or operations in the event of a major earthquake, weather event, cyber-attack, terrorist attack, strike, civil unrest, mass population dislocations, pandemic or other catastrophic event could cause delays in providing services or performing other mission-critical functions. Our corporate headquarters and certain other critical business operations are in the Seattle, Washington area, which is near major earthquake faults. A catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of any of our critical business or information technology systems could harm our ability to conduct normal business operations and our operating results. See “Any significant disruptions to our network and systems continuity could have an adverse impact to our business and financial results” above.

We face risks associated with the handling of customer inventory

Under some of our agreements, we maintain the inventory of our customers, some of which may be significant in value. Our failure to properly handle and safeguard such inventory exposes us to potential claims and expenses as well as harm to our business and reputation.

Our insurance coverage does not cover all potential losses and significant uninsured losses could adversely impact our financial results.

We carry insurance coverage for property damage, personal injury and other insurable events resulting from certain events such as fire, accidents, and other perils under extended coverage policies. Our insurance coverages contain policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar locations, business activities and markets. We believe we are adequately insured. Certain losses, however, including losses from floods, earthquakes, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots, cybersecurity events and pandemics, generally are not insured against or not fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs with respect to one or more of our facilities in the future, we could experience a significant loss of assets, including customer inventory, and future operations could be harmed resulting in a loss of revenues or higher claims and operating expenses.

Furthermore, we cannot be sure that the insurance companies will be able to continue to offer products with sufficient coverage at commercially reasonable rates. If we experience a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds insured limits, then we could incur additional expenses or a loss of future revenues from a facility that is damaged. Any such losses or higher insurance costs could adversely affect our business.

 

19.


 

Difficulty in forecasting timing or volumes of customer shipments or rate changes by carriers could adversely impact our margins and operating results.

Expeditors is not aware of any accurate means of forecasting short-term customer requirements. However, long-term customer satisfaction depends upon our ability to meet these unpredictable short-term customer requirements. Personnel costs, our single largest expense, are always less flexible in the very near term as we must staff to meet uncertain demand. As a result, short-term operating results could be disproportionately affected.

A significant portion of Expeditors' revenues is derived from customers in retail and technology industries whose shipping patterns are tied closely to consumer demand and from customers in industries whose shipping patterns are dependent upon just-in-time production schedules. Therefore, the timing of our revenues is, to a large degree, impacted by factors out of our control, such as a sudden change in consumer demand for retail goods, changes in trade tariffs, product launches and/or manufacturing production delays. Additionally, many customers ship a significant portion of their goods at or near the end of a quarter, and therefore, we may not learn of a shortfall in revenues until late in a quarter. To the extent that a shortfall in revenues or earnings was not expected by securities analysts or investors, any such shortfall from levels predicted by securities analysts or investors could have an immediate and adverse effect on the trading price of our stock.

Volatile market conditions can create situations where rate increases charged by carriers and other service providers are implemented with little or no advance notice. We often cannot pass these rate increases on to our customers in the same time frame, if at all. As a result, our yields and margins can be negatively impacted.

Climate change, including measures to address climate change, could adversely impact our business and financial results.

The long-term effects of climate change are difficult to predict and may be widespread. The impacts of climate change may include physical risks (such as rising sea levels, which could affect port operations or frequency and severity of extreme weather conditions, which could disrupt our operations and damage cargo and our facilities), compliance costs and transition risks (such as increased regulation and taxation to support carbon emissions reduction investments), shifts in customer demands (such as customers requiring more fuel efficient transportation modes or transparency to carbon emissions in their supply chains) and customer contractual requirements around environmental initiatives and other adverse effects. Our non-asset-based model gives us a flexibility and an ability to change locations, modes, and carriers based on evolving operating conditions, however, such impacts may disrupt our operations by adversely affecting our ability to procure services that meet regulatory or customer requirements, depending on the availability of sufficient appropriate logistics solutions.

In addition, the increasing concern over climate change has resulted and may continue to result in more regulations relating to climate change, including regulating greenhouse gas emissions, restrictions on modes of transportation, alternative energy policies and sustainability initiatives, such as the FuelEU Maritime initiative. If legislation or regulations are enacted or promulgated in the United States or in any other jurisdictions in which we operate, that impose more stringent restrictions and requirements than our current legal or regulatory obligations, we may experience disruptions in, or increases in the costs associated with delivering our services, which may negatively affect our operating our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Government Regulation and Tax Risks

We are subject to a complex regulatory environment, and failure to comply with and adapt to these regulations could result in penalties or otherwise adversely impact our business.

Expeditors is affected by ever increasing regulations from a number of sources in the United States and in foreign locations in which we operate. Many of these regulations are complex and require varying degrees of interpretation, including those related to handling dangerous and hazardous materials, trade compliance, data privacy, environmental, employment, compensation and competition, and may result in unforeseen costs.

In reaction to the continuing global terrorist threat, governments around the world are continuously enacting or updating security regulations. These regulations are multi-layered, increasingly technical in nature and characterized by a lack of harmonization of substantive requirements among various governmental authorities. Furthermore, the implementation of these regulations, including deadlines and substantive requirements, can be driven by regulatory urgencies rather than industry's realistic ability to comply.

20.


 

Failure to consistently and timely comply with these regulations, or the failure, breach or compromise of our policies and procedures or those of our service providers or agents, may result in increased operating costs, damage to our reputation, difficulty in attracting and retaining key personnel, restrictions on operations or fines and penalties.

We operate globally and any inability to safeguard our operations or comply with anti-corruption laws and trade compliance regulations would adversely impact our reputation and business.

The majority of Expeditors' revenues and operating income comes from operations conducted outside the United States. To maintain a global service network, we may be required to operate in hostile locations and in dangerous situations. Doing business in foreign locations also subjects us to a variety of risks and considerations not normally encountered by domestic enterprises.

In addition, we operate in parts of the world where common business practices could constitute violations of the anti-corruption laws, rules, regulations and decrees of the United States and of other countries in which we conduct business, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act; as well as trade and exchange control laws, or laws, regulations and Executive Orders imposing embargoes and sanctions; and anti-boycott laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws, rules, regulations and decrees is dependent on our employees, service providers, agents, third party brokers and customers, whose individual actions could violate these laws, rules, regulations and decrees. Failure to comply could result in substantial penalties and additional expenses, damage to our reputation and restrictions on our ability to conduct business.

We are subject to taxation in multiple jurisdictions, and although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, any adverse determinations in tax audits could negatively impact our financial results.

Expeditors is subject to income and non-income taxation in the United States (Federal, state and local) as well as many foreign jurisdictions including the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In many of these jurisdictions, the tax laws are very complex and are open to different interpretations and application. Tax authorities frequently implement new taxes and change their tax rates and rules, including interpretations of those rules. The timing of the resolution of income and non-income tax examinations can be highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts recorded.

It is reasonably possible that within the next twelve months we will undergo further audits and examinations by various tax authorities and possibly may reach resolution related to income tax examinations covering one or more jurisdictions and years. In recent years, the United States and other foreign governments have made significant changes to tax laws, and more changes are anticipated in future periods. Often, those changes are subject to the issuance of new regulations and interpretations, which adds complexity and uncertainty in calculating tax liabilities. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities, including transfer pricing inquiries. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits, including any potential penalties and interest, could be materially different from our tax provisions and accruals and negatively impact our financial results. We cannot currently provide an estimate of the range of possible outcomes.

Current economic and political conditions make tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, in any jurisdiction subject to significant change. Changes in tax laws or statutory tax rates, competing tax regimes, variability in the mix of pretax earnings we generate in the U.S, as compared to other countries, or new taxes in the United States or foreign jurisdictions could result in additional tax liabilities, or increased volatility in our effective tax rate and total tax expense.

General Risks

Investigations and litigation could require management time and or incur substantial legal costs or fines, penalties or damages, any of which could adversely impact on our financial results.

As a multinational corporation, Expeditors is subject to formal or informal investigations from governmental authorities or others in the countries in which we do business. In addition, we may become subject to civil litigation with our customers, service providers and other parties with whom we do business. These investigations and litigation may require significant management time and could cause us to incur substantial additional legal and related costs, which may include fines, penalties or damages that could have a materially adverse impact on our financial results.

 

21.


 

We identified a material weakness in our internal control related to an ineffective information technology general control which, if not remediated appropriately or timely, could result in loss of investor confidence and adversely impact our stock price.

Internal controls related to the operation of technology systems are critical to maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. As disclosed in Part II, Item 9A, during the fourth quarter of 2022, management identified a material weakness in internal control related to certain database changes made to an information technology (IT) system that supports the Company’s financial reporting processes. As a result, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2022. Subsequent to the identification of the material weakness and prior to the issuance of these financial statements included in this Form 10-K, the Company (i) performed a lookback review of all direct changes made to the database subject to the control operating ineffectiveness for the full year 2022, and (ii) conducted supplemental procedures and found no evidence of improper changes or changes with direct or consequential impact on internal controls over financial reporting. As a result of identifying this issue, management will be implementing certain enhancements designed to strengthen IT program change management processes and will continue to conduct monthly supplemental lookback review procedures of direct database changes until improvements are fully in place. We expect that such enhancements will be completed prior to the end of 2023. To the extent management is unable to remediate the identified issue timely, our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately, and to prepare financial statements within required time periods, could be adversely affected, which could subject us to litigation or investigations requiring management resources and payment of legal and other expenses, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements and adversely impact our stock price.

ITEM 1B — UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2 — PROPERTIES

Expeditors’ corporate headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington. We conduct operations in approximately 440 locations worldwide, of which approximately 100 are in the United States and 19 are owned. These owned and leased locations are primarily located close to an airport, ocean port, or on an important border crossing. These facilities are strategically located to cover the geographic areas served by Expeditors. The majority of these facilities contain warehouse facilities. We will from time to time investigate the possibility of building or buying suitable facilities. We believe that current leases can be extended and that suitable alternative facilities are available in the vicinity of each present facility should extensions be unavailable at the conclusion of current leases.

Expeditors is involved in claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters that arise in the ordinary course of business and are subject to inherent uncertainties. Currently, in management's opinion and based upon advice from legal advisors, none of these matters are expected to have a significant effect on our operations, cash flows or financial position. In 2022, amounts recorded for claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters are not significant to our operations, cash flows or financial position. At this time, we are unable to estimate any additional loss or range of reasonably possible losses, if any, beyond the amounts recorded, that might result from the resolution of these matters, including potential claims resulting from a cyber-attack in February 2022.

ITEM 4 — MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

 

22.


 

PART II

ITEM 5 — MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Expeditors' common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol EXPD.

There were 600 registered holders of record as of February 24, 2023. This figure does not include a substantially greater number of beneficial holders of our common stock, whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.

The Board of Directors declared semi-annual dividends per share during the two most recent fiscal years as follows:

 

June 15, 2022

 

$

0.67

 

December 15, 2022

 

$

0.67

 

June 15, 2021

 

$

0.58

 

December 15, 2021

 

$

0.58

 

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Period

 

Total number
of shares
purchased

 

 

Average price
paid per share

 

 

Total number of
shares purchased
as part of publicly
announced plans

 

 

Maximum number
of shares that
may yet be
purchased
under the plans

 

October 1-31, 2022

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,134,478

 

November 1-30, 2022

 

 

4,345,240

 

 

$

113.00

 

 

 

4,345,240

 

 

 

4,901,190

 

December 1-31, 2022

 

 

654,760

 

 

$

111.14

 

 

 

654,760

 

 

 

4,312,871

 

Total

 

 

5,000,000

 

 

$

112.76

 

 

 

5,000,000

 

 

 

4,312,871

 

In November 2001, under a Discretionary Stock Repurchase Plan, Expeditors' Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of our common stock in the open market to reduce the issued and outstanding stock down to 200 million shares. Subsequently, the Board of Directors has from time to time increased the amount of our common stock that may be repurchased. The Board of Directors last authorized repurchases from 150 million shares of common stock down to 140 million on February 20, 2023. The maximum number of shares available for repurchase under this plan will increase as the total number of outstanding shares increases. This authorization has no expiration date.

 

23.


 

The graph below compares Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.'s cumulative 5-Year total shareholder return on common stock with the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 index and the NASDAQ Industrial Transportation index (NQUSB502060T). The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock and in each of the indexes (including reinvestment of dividends) was $100 on 12/31/2017 and tracks it through 12/31/2022. Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends in each of the indices indicated.

 

img51170147_1.jpg 

 

 

 

12/17

 

 

12/18

 

 

12/19

 

 

12/20

 

 

12/21

 

 

12/22

 

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

 

$

100.00

 

 

 

106.52

 

 

 

123.75

 

 

 

152.77

 

 

 

217.73

 

 

 

170.51

 

Standard and Poor's 500 Index

 

 

100.00

 

 

 

95.61

 

 

 

125.70

 

 

 

148.81

 

 

 

191.48

 

 

 

156.77

 

NASDAQ Industrial Transportation (NQUSB502060T)

 

 

100.00

 

 

 

90.96

 

 

 

114.55

 

 

 

149.90

 

 

 

189.54

 

 

 

160.39

 

 

The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

24.


 

ITEM 6 — [RESERVED]

Not applicable.

SAFE HARBOR FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS UNDER PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995; CERTAIN CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended contains “forward-looking statements,” as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E f the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. From time to time, Expeditors or its representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. Such forward-looking statements may be included in, but not limited to, press releases, presentations, oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer or in various filings made by Expeditors with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements including those preceded by, followed by or that include the words or phrases “will”, likely result”, “are expected to”, "would expect", "would not expect", “will continue”, “is anticipated”, “estimate”, “project”, "provisional", "plan", "believe", "probable", "reasonably possible", "may", "could", "should", "would", "intends", "foreseeable future" or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to and are accompanied by the discussion under Risk Factors in Item 1A of certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements.

The risks included in Item 1A are not exhaustive. Furthermore, reference is also made to other sections of this report, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 and Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk in Item 7A, which include additional factors that could adversely impact Expeditors' business and financial performance. Moreover, Expeditors operates in a very competitive, complex and rapidly changing global environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all of such risk factors on Expeditors' business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements cannot be relied upon as a guarantee of actual results.

Shareholders should be aware that while Expeditors does, from time to time, communicate with securities analysts, it is against Expeditors' policy to disclose to such analysts any material non-public information or other confidential commercial information. Accordingly, shareholders should not assume that Expeditors agrees with any statement or report issued by any analyst irrespective of the content of such statement or report. Furthermore, Expeditors has a policy against issuing financial forecasts or projections or confirming the accuracy of forecasts or projections issued by others. Accordingly, to the extent that reports issued by securities analysts contain any projections, forecasts or opinions, such reports are not the responsibility of Expeditors.

25.


 

ITEM 7 — MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. provides a full suite of global logistics services. Our services include air and ocean freight consolidation and forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing and distribution, purchase order management, vendor consolidation, time-definite transportation services, temperature-controlled transit, cargo insurance, specialized cargo monitoring and tracking, and other supply chain solutions. We do not compete for overnight courier or small parcel business. As a non-asset-based carrier, we do not own or operate transportation assets.

We derive our revenues by entering into agreements that are generally comprised of a single performance obligation, which is that freight is shipped for and received by our customer. Each performance obligation is comprised of one or more of the Company's services. We typically satisfy our performance obligations as services are rendered over time. A typical shipment would include services rendered at origin, such as pick-up and delivery to port, freight services from origin to destination port and destination services, such as customs clearance and final delivery. Our three principal services are the revenue categories presented in our financial statements: 1) airfreight services, 2) ocean freight and ocean services, and 3) customs brokerage and other services. The most significant drivers of changes in gross revenues and related transportation expenses are volume, sell rates and buy rates. Volume has a similar effect on the change in both gross revenues and related transportation expenses in each of our three primary sources of revenue.

We generate the major portion of our air and ocean freight revenues by purchasing transportation services on a volume basis from direct (asset-based) carriers and then reselling that space to our customers. The rate billed to our customers (the sell rate) is recognized as revenues and the rate we pay to the carrier (the buy rate) is recognized in operating expenses as the directly related cost of transportation and other expenses. By consolidating shipments from multiple customers and concentrating our buying power, we are able to negotiate favorable buy rates from the direct carriers, while at the same time offering lower sell rates than customers would otherwise be able to negotiate themselves.

In most cases we act as an indirect carrier. When acting as an indirect carrier, we issue a House Airway Bill (HAWB), a House Ocean Bill of Lading (HOBL) or a House Seaway Bill to customers as the contract of carriage. In turn, when the freight is physically tendered to a direct carrier, we receive a contract of carriage known as a Master Airway Bill for airfreight shipments and a Master Ocean Bill of Lading (MOBL) for ocean shipments.

Customs brokerage and other services involve providing services at destination, such as helping customers clear shipments through customs by preparing and filing required documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties and other taxes on behalf of customers as well as arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and import services such as arranging for local pick up, storage and delivery at destinations. These are complicated functions requiring technical knowledge of customs rules and regulations in the multitude of countries in which we have offices. We also provide other value-added services at destination, such as warehousing and distribution, time-definitive transportation services and consulting.

We manage our company along five geographic areas of responsibility: Americas; North Asia; South Asia; Europe; and Middle East, Africa and India (MAIR). Each area is divided into sub-regions that are composed of operating units with individual profit and loss responsibility. Our business involves shipments between operating units and typically touches more than one geographic area. The nature of the international logistics business necessitates a high degree of communication and cooperation among operating units. Because of this inter-relationship between operating units, it is very difficult to examine any one geographic area and draw meaningful conclusions as to its contribution to our overall success on a stand-alone basis.

Our operating units share revenue using the same arms-length pricing methodologies that we use when our offices transact business with independent agents. Certain costs are allocated among the segments based on the relative value of the underlying services, which can include allocation based on actual costs incurred or estimated cost plus a profit margin. Our strategy closely links compensation with operating unit profitability, which includes shared revenues and allocated costs. Therefore, individual success is closely linked to cooperation with other operating units within our network. The mix of services varies by segment based primarily on the import or export orientation of local operations in each of our regions. North Asia is our largest export-oriented region and accounted for 34% of revenues, 39% of directly related cost of transportation and other expenses and 25% of operating income for the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

26.


 

Highlights from 2022

Revenues and directly related operating expenses increased 3% and 4%, respectively, from higher average buy and sell rates, while operating income and net earnings to shareholders both declined 4% due to higher operating expenses.
Operational conditions remained challenging and uncertain in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic, including the effect of ongoing quarantine requirements in China and resulting disruptions on supply chains, continued to affect our business operations and financial results. Imbalances between carrier available capacity and customer demand that were severe at the beginning of the year gradually eased throughout the year. Congestion at destination ports, shortages in equipment, labor and warehouse space that were significant at the beginning of the year cleared by the fourth quarter.
Volumes transacted in most services were down due to softening customer demand and from a slowdown in the global economy and retail customers' inventory build-up early in the year.
Average buy and sell rates, while still higher than historical levels, progressively declined throughout the year as imbalances between available capacity for transportation and demand and major port congestion have dissipated.
In the first quarter of 2022, our company was the subject of a targeted cyber-attack which resulted in having to shut down most of our connectivity, operating and accounting systems globally to manage the safety of our entire global systems environment. We had limited ability to conduct operations for a period of approximately three weeks, including but not limited to arranging for shipments of freight or managing customs and distribution activities for our customers’ shipments. While we continued to navigate residual effects and incorporate learnings from the cyber-attack, our core systems were utilized to deliver our services from the second quarter and on. We incurred additional expenses of $65 million, net of recoveries, and experienced a loss of revenues that cannot be quantified as a result of this attack.
Operating cash flows were $2,130 million and we returned $1,796 million to shareholders through common stock repurchases and dividends.

Industry trends, trade conditions and competition

We operate in over 60 countries in the competitive global logistics industry and our activities are closely tied to the global economy. International trade is influenced by many factors, including economic and political conditions in the United States and abroad, currency exchange rates, laws and policies relating to tariffs, trade restrictions, foreign investment and taxation. Periodically, governments consider a variety of changes to tariffs and impose trade restrictions and accords. Currently, the United States and China have increased concerns affecting certain imports and exports and have implemented additional tariffs. We cannot predict the outcome of changes in tariffs, or interpretations, and trade restrictions and accords and the effects they will have on our business. As governments implement restrictions on imports and exports, manufacturers may change sourcing patterns, to the extent possible, and, over time, may shift manufacturing to other countries. Doing business in foreign locations also subjects us to a variety of risks and considerations not normally encountered by domestic enterprises. In addition to being influenced by governmental policies and inter-governmental disputes concerning international trade, our business may also be negatively affected by political developments and changes in government personnel or policies in the United States and other countries, as well as economic turbulence, political unrest and security concerns in the nations and on the trade shipping lanes in which we conduct business and the future impact that these events may have on international trade, oil prices and security costs. We do not have employees, assets, or operations in Russia or Ukraine. While very limited, any shipment activity is conducted with independent agents in those countries in compliance with all applicable trade sanctions, laws and regulations.

Our ability to provide services to our customers is highly dependent on good working relationships with a variety of entities, including airlines; ocean carrier lines and ground transportation providers, as well as governmental agencies. We select and engage with best-in-class, compliance-focused, efficiently run, growth-oriented partners, based upon defined value elements and are intentional in our relationship and performance management activity, reinforcing success by awarding service providers who consistently achieve at the highest levels with additional business. We consider our current working relationships with these entities to be satisfactory. However, changes in the financial stability and operating capabilities and capacity of asset-based carriers, capacity allotments available from carriers, governmental regulation or deregulation efforts, modernization of the regulations governing customs brokerage, and/or changes in governmental restrictions, quota restrictions or trade accords could affect our business in unpredictable ways. Many air carriers are recovering from significant cash flow challenges and record operating losses incurred in 2020 and 2021 as a result of travel restrictions resulting in cancellation of flights. Uncertainty over recovery of demand for trans-pacific passenger air travel, in particular business travel, compared to pre-pandemic levels may impact air carriers’ operations and financial stability long term. When the market experiences seasonal peaks or any sort of disruption, the carriers often increase their pricing suddenly. This carrier behavior creates pricing volatility that could impact Expeditors' ability to maintain historical unitary profitability.

27.


 

The global economic and trade environments remain uncertain, including the potential future impacts of the pandemic, higher inflation and oil prices, rising interest rates and the conflict in Ukraine. Starting in the second quarter and continuing through the fourth quarter, we saw a slowdown in the global economy and a softening of customer demand resulting in declines in average buy and sell rates. As demand softened and pandemic restrictions subsided, port congestion cleared, availability of labor and equipment eased resulting in excess carrier capacity over demand. These conditions could result in further declines in average sell and buy rates in 2023. We also expect that pricing volatility will continue as carriers adapt to lower demand, changing fuel prices and react to governmental trade policies and other regulations. Additionally, we cannot predict the direct or indirect impact that further changes in and purchasing behavior, such as online shopping, could have on our business. In response to governments implementing higher tariffs on imports, as well as responses to the pandemic’s disruptions, some customers have begun shifting manufacturing to other countries which could negatively impact us.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP). Preparing our consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses. A summary of our significant accounting policies can be found in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in this report. Management believes that the nature of our business is such that there are few complex challenges in accounting for operations. While judgments and estimates are a necessary component of any system of accounting, the use of estimates is limited primarily to accrual of loss contingencies, accrual of various tax liabilities and contingencies, accrual of insurance liabilities for the portion of the related exposure that we have self-insured, and accounts receivable valuation.

These estimates, other than the accrual of loss contingencies and tax liabilities and contingencies, are not highly uncertain and have not historically been subject to significant change. Management believes that the methods utilized in all of these areas are non-aggressive in approach and consistent in application, and that there are limited, if any, alternative accounting principles or methods which could be applied to these transactions. While the use of estimates means that actual future results may be different from those contemplated by the estimates, management believes that alternative principles and methods used for making such estimates would not produce materially different results than those reported.

The outcome of loss contingencies, including legal proceedings and claims and government investigations, brought against us are subject to significant uncertainty. An estimated loss from a contingency, including a legal or tax proceeding, claim, government investigation or audit, or a customer claim, is recorded by a charge to income if it is probable that an asset has been impaired, or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Disclosure of a loss contingency is made if there is at least a reasonable possibility that a significant loss has been incurred. In determining whether a loss should be recorded, management evaluates several factors, including advice from outside legal counsel and qualified tax advisors, in order to estimate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome and to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss or range of reasonably possible loss. Changes in these factors could have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations and operating cash flows for any particular quarter or year.

Accounting for income taxes involves significant estimates and judgments. We are subject to taxation in various states and in many foreign jurisdictions including the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Management believes that our tax positions, including intercompany transfer pricing policies, are reasonable and are consistent with established transfer pricing methodologies and norms. We are under, or may be subject to, audit or examination and assessments by the relevant authorities in respect of these particular jurisdictions primarily for 2009 and thereafter. Sometimes audits and examinations result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution could result in significant additional tax, penalties and interest payments being required. We establish liabilities when, despite our belief that the tax return positions are appropriate and consistent with tax law, we conclude that we may not be successful in realizing the tax position. In evaluating a tax position, we determine whether it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position and in consultation with qualified tax advisors.

 

28.


 

The total amount of our income and non-income tax contingencies may increase in 2023. In addition, changes in state, federal, and foreign tax laws and changes in interpretations of these laws may increase our existing tax contingencies. The timing of the resolution of tax examinations can be highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ significantly from the amounts recorded. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we may undergo further audits and examinations by various tax authorities, and it is also possible that we may reach resolution related to income tax and non-income tax examinations in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements could result in changes to our contingencies related to positions on tax filings in future years and may increase the amount of tax expense we recognize as well as the potential for penalties and interest being incurred. Our estimate of any ultimate tax liability contains assumptions based on our experience, judgments about potential actions by taxing jurisdictions as well as judgments about the likely outcome of issues that have been raised by the taxing jurisdiction. Though we believe the estimates and assumptions used to support the evaluation of our tax positions are reasonable, the actual amount of any change could vary significantly depending on the ultimate timing and nature of its resolution. We cannot currently provide an estimate of the range of possible outcomes.

As discussed in Note 1.G to the consolidated financial statements, earnings of our foreign subsidiaries are not considered to be indefinitely reinvested outside of the United States. U.S. corporate income tax laws and regulations include a territorial tax framework and provisions for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) under which taxes on foreign income are imposed on the excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of certain foreign subsidiaries, Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) under which taxes are imposed on certain base eroding payments to affiliated foreign companies as well as U.S. income tax deductions for Foreign-derived intangible income (FDII). Our effective tax rate is significantly impacted by the mix of pretax earnings that we generate in the U.S. as compared to countries in the rest of the world, and the tax rates in effect in those locations relative to the pre-tax earnings generated in those countries and jurisdictions. We believe it is reasonably possible that many countries and jurisdictions will increase their tax rates or otherwise implement tax reforms that would be expected to increase the total tax expense that we will incur in those locations. Our effective tax rate will continue to be impacted by any discrete items for events occurring in a future period or future changes in tax regulations and related interpretations.

29.


 

Results of Operations

This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses year-to-year comparisons between the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For a discussion of the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The following table shows the revenues, the directly related cost of transportation and other expenses for our principal services and our overhead expenses for 2022, 2021 and 2020. The table, chart and the accompanying discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto in Part II, Item 8 of this report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage
change

In thousands

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2022 vs.
2021

Airfreight services:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

5,886,886

 

 

$

6,771,402

 

 

$

4,274,026

 

 

(13)%

Expenses

 

 

4,359,726

 

 

 

5,067,380

 

 

 

3,168,808

 

 

(14)%

Ocean freight and ocean services:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

 

6,544,559

 

 

 

5,545,818

 

 

 

2,342,344

 

 

18%

Expenses

 

 

5,188,066

 

 

 

4,364,160

 

 

 

1,751,850

 

 

19%

Customs brokerage and other services:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

 

4,639,839

 

 

 

4,206,297

 

 

 

2,968,023

 

 

10%

Expenses

 

 

3,029,105

 

 

 

2,626,615

 

 

 

1,736,044

 

 

15%

Overhead expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salaries and related costs

 

 

2,056,387

 

 

 

2,062,351

 

 

 

1,538,104

 

 

Other

 

 

613,629

 

 

 

493,685

 

 

 

449,150

 

 

24%

Total overhead expenses

 

 

2,670,016

 

 

 

2,556,036

 

 

 

1,987,254

 

 

4%

Operating income

 

 

1,824,371

 

 

 

1,909,326

 

 

 

940,437

 

 

(4)%

Other income, net

 

 

11,520

 

 

 

15,290

 

 

 

16,127

 

 

(25)%

Earnings before income taxes

 

 

1,835,891

 

 

 

1,924,616

 

 

 

956,564

 

 

(5)%

Income tax expense

 

 

475,286

 

 

 

505,771

 

 

 

258,350

 

 

(6)%

Net earnings

 

 

1,360,605

 

 

 

1,418,845

 

 

 

698,214

 

 

(4)%

Less net earnings attributable to the noncontrolling interest

 

 

3,206

 

 

 

3,353

 

 

 

2,074

 

 

(4)%

Net earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,357,399

 

 

$

1,415,492

 

 

$

696,140

 

 

(4)%

 

30.


 

 

img51170147_2.jpg 

Airfreight services:

Airfreight services revenues and expenses decreased 13% and 14%, respectively, in 2022, as compared with 2021, due to a 17% decrease in tonnage offset by 3% increases in both average sell and buy rates, respectively. Volumes were lower in 2022 as a result of softening overall demand and compared to strong volumes in the same period in 2021 from customers converting to air shipments due to ocean port congestion. In 2022, demand for airfreight services softened compared to 2021 but rates remained high as available capacity was limited compared to pre-pandemic levels. Airlines increased passenger flight schedules as restrictions were lifted which added available belly space throughout 2022. Continued restrictions from the pandemic in China and other countries have resulted in airlines not increasing passenger flight schedules to pre-pandemic levels in certain lanes. Additionally, capacity was further limited due to the conflict in Ukraine and the related route restrictions in Asia and Europe lanes and sanctions on Russian carriers. In order to meet the transportation needs of our customers, we continued to purchase capacity in advance and on the spot market in the first half of the year.

 

31.


 

Tonnage decreased in almost all regions due to softening demand, pandemic related lockdowns in China and downtime caused by the cyber-attack with the largest decrease coming from exports out of North Asia, South Asia and North America. Though we continued to process air shipments on a limited basis during the downtime caused by the cyber-attack, our volumes were negatively affected. Subsequent to the downtime in March, our volumes began to recover as customers gradually returned but were negatively affected through the second quarter. Average sell and buy rates started declining in the second half of the year and accelerated in the fourth quarter as demand softened from an overall slowdown in the economy and as more cargo capacity on passenger flights became available.

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, airfreight services revenues and expenses decreased 47% and 48%, respectively, due to 38% and 37% decreases in average sell and buy rates, respectively, and a 20% decrease in tonnage compared to high demand for airfreight while capacity was constrained in particular on exports from North Asia in 2021. Declines in tonnage and rates were most significant on export out of North Asia and South Asia. As air carriers bring back additional flights, in some cases ahead of passenger demand, supply and demand imbalances may occur, resulting in further pressure on rates.

The continued high average buy and sell rates caused by the pandemic and supply chain disruptions have significantly contributed to the growth in our revenues, expenses and operating income in 2021 and 2022. As experienced in the fourth quarter of 2022, these unprecedented disruptions improved as supply chain operations normalized. Buy rates and sell rates have been declining since the second quarter of 2022 and are expected to further decline in 2023, which could result in further decrease in our revenues, expenses and operating income. We are unable to predict how these uncertainties and any future disruptions will affect our future operations or financial results.

Ocean freight and ocean services:

Ocean freight consolidation, direct ocean forwarding, and order management are the three basic services that constitute and are collectively referred to as ocean freight and ocean services. Ocean freight and ocean services revenues and expenses increased 18% and 19%, respectively, in 2022, as compared with 2021. The largest component of our ocean freight and ocean services revenue is derived from ocean freight consolidation, which represented 85% and 82% of ocean freight and ocean services revenue in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Ocean freight consolidation revenues and expenses increased across all regions and were both up 23% in 2022, as compared with 2021, primarily due to 36% and 35% increases in average sell and buy rates, respectively, partially offset by a 10% decrease in containers shipped. For the majority of the year, rising fuel prices, congestion at ports due to labor, truck and equipment shortages and disrupted sailing schedules resulted in continued high average buy rates in 2022. As demand softened, port congestion cleared and shortages of labor and equipment at ports eased, resulting in available capacity from carriers that exceeded demand. This resulted in a sharp decline in average buy rates in the fourth quarter of 2022 and average sell rates declined to adjust to market conditions.

Containers shipped were lower in all regions, most significantly on exports out of North Asia. The slowdown in the economy resulted in softening demand and a buildup of retail inventories that began in the second quarter of 2022 in the United States, negatively affected containers shipped. When compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, ocean freight consolidation revenues and expenses decreased 44% and 46%, respectively, due to 34% and 37% decreases in average buy and sell rates, respectively and a 15% decrease in containers shipped. North Asia ocean freight consolidation revenues and expenses decreased 57% and 59%, respectively, due to a 23% decrease in containers shipped and lower average rates.

Direct ocean freight forwarding revenues and expenses both increased 5% in 2022, principally due to higher volumes and increased ancillary services provided at higher rates. Order management revenues and expenses both decreased 17% in 2022, due to lower volumes from retail customers and the impact of downtime and lost customers caused by the cyber-attack. Our ability to provide order management services in the first quarter of 2022 was significantly affected by limited system connectivity during the downtime caused by the cyber-attack.

As global economic conditions slow, we expect available capacity to exceed demand and continue downward pressure on sell and buy rates in 2023. While supply-chain congestion has cleared, uncertainty remains around labor, rail, truck and equipment shortages and pandemic related restrictions, which could result in volatility in average buy and sell rates. We also expect that pricing volatility will continue as carriers adapt to increases in fuel prices and customers react to governmental trade policies and other regulations. The high average buy and sell rates have significantly contributed to the growth in our revenues and expenses in the first part of 2022. As experienced in the fourth quarter of 2022, these unprecedented disruptions improved as supply chains operations normalized. Buy rates and sell rates have been declining throughout 2022, sharply in the fourth quarter, and are expected to further decline in 2023, which could result in further decrease in our revenues, expenses and operating income.

32.


 

Customs brokerage and other services:

Customs brokerage and other services revenues and expenses increased 10% and 15%, respectively, in 2022, as compared with 2021, primarily due to higher charges on import services due to supply chain congestion and costs related to the downtime caused by the cyber-attack. Revenues and expenses for import services increased significantly due to high drayage, storage, delivery, demurrage, and detention costs incurred at destinations caused by supply chains congestion, shortages in warehousing space and delays in retrieving and delivering cargo and were partially offset by a decrease in revenue from customs clearance due to fewer shipments. Additionally, as a result of our inability to timely process and move shipments through ports during the cyber-attack downtime, we directly incurred approximately $47 million in incremental demurrage charges in 2022. Road freight, warehousing and distribution services also grew due to higher volumes and higher trucking, storage and labor costs. While customers continue to value our brokerage services due to changing tariffs and increasing complexity in the declaration process, some customers opt to use multiple customs brokerage service providers to reduce their risk. Customers continue to seek knowledgeable customs brokers with sophisticated computerized capabilities critical to an overall logistics management program that are necessary to rapidly respond to changes in the regulatory and security environment. Additionally, as supply-chains congestion subsides and international trade slows, volumes shipped and pricing could be negatively affected resulting in lower revenues and expenses.

North America revenues and directly related expenses increased 16% and 22%, respectively in 2022, as compared with 2021, primarily as a result of higher charges on import services due to port congestion. Additionally, $43 million in demurrage charges related to the downtime caused by the cyber-attack also contributed to the increase in expenses in 2022.

Overhead expenses:

Salaries and related costs were constant in 2022, as compared with 2021, principally due to decreases in bonuses earned from lower operating income and were offset by increases in base salaries and a 4% increase in headcount.

Historically, the relatively consistent relationship between salaries and operating income has been the result of a compensation philosophy that has been maintained since the inception of our company: offer a modest base salary and the opportunity to share in a fixed and determinable percentage of the operating profit of the business unit controlled by each key employee. Using this compensation model, changes in individual incentive compensation occur in proportion to changes in our operating income, creating an alignment between branch and corporate performance and shareholder interests.

Our management compensation programs have always been incentive-based and performance driven. Bonuses to field and executive management in 2022 decreased 9% when compared to the same period in 2021 primarily due a 4% decrease in operating income and by unused bonus allocations and reductions in bonuses awarded to senior management.

Because our management incentive compensation programs are also cumulative, generally no management bonuses can be paid unless the relevant business unit is, from inception, cumulatively profitable. Any operating losses must be offset in their entirety by operating profits before management is eligible for a bonus. Executive management, in limited circumstances, makes exceptions at the branch operating unit level. Since the most significant portion of management compensation comes from the incentive bonus programs, we believe that this cumulative feature is a disincentive to excessive risk taking by our managers. The outcome of any higher risk transactions, such as overriding established credit limits, would be known in a relatively short time frame. Management believes that when the potential and certain impact on the bonus is fully considered in light of the short operating cycle of our services, the potential for short-term gains that could be generated by engaging in risky business practices is sufficiently mitigated to discourage excessive and inappropriate risk taking. Management believes that both the stability and the long-term growth in operating income and net earnings are a result of the incentives inherent in our compensation programs.

Other overhead expenses increased 24% in 2022, as compared with 2021. We incurred $18 million of incremental costs in relation with the cyber-attack in 2022. These costs comprised of various consulting services including cybersecurity experts, outside legal advisors, and other IT professional expenses; and estimated liabilities for potential shipment-related claims. The remaining increases in other overhead expenses are the result of certain operational expenses, renting additional space to accommodate changing market conditions, increased technology-related costs and higher local tax expenses, including a non-income tax contingency of $22 million, and an increase in travel and entertainment expenses. We expect to continue to enhance the effectiveness and security of our systems and deploy additional protection technologies and processes which will result in increased expenses in the future. We will also 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.

33.


 

Other income, net:

Other income and expense is comprised of interest expense, including $22 million on non-income tax contingencies recognized in 2022, and interest income.

Income tax expense:

Our consolidated effective income tax rate was 25.9% in 2022, as compared to 26.3% in 2021. The earnings of our U.S. operations were proportionally higher than that of our international subsidiaries in 2022 which resulted in a benefit to our effective tax rate as average U.S. federal and state tax rates are lower than average tax rates of our international subsidiaries. In 2022 and 2021, we benefited from U.S. Federal tax credits totaling $41.6 million and $27.9 million, respectively principally because of withholding taxes related to our foreign operations, as well as U.S. income tax deductions for foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) of $41.7 million and $22.6 million, respectively. This was offset by a lower benefit from tax deductions for share-based compensation in 2022, principally stock option exercises of our employees, as well as the impact of certain expenses that are not deductible including certain executive compensation in excess of amounts allowed.

Our effective tax rate is subject to variation and the effective tax rate may be more or less volatile based on the amounts of pre-tax income or loss. For example, the impact of discrete items and non-deductible expenses on the effective rate is greater when pre-tax income is lower. Total consolidated foreign income tax expense is composed of the income tax expense of our non-U.S. subsidiaries as well as income based withholding taxes paid by our non-U.S. subsidiaries on behalf of its parent for intercompany payments, including the remittance of dividends, some of which do not qualify for tax credits under U.S. income tax laws and regulations. The tax benefit associated with non-qualified stock option and restricted stock unit grants is recorded when the related compensation expense is recorded (excess tax benefits are recorded upon the exercise of non-qualified stock options and vesting of restricted stock units and performance share units), while the tax benefit received for employee stock purchase plan shares cannot be anticipated and are therefore recognized if and when a disqualifying disposition occurs.

Some elements of the recorded impacts of enacted tax laws and regulation could be impacted by further legislative action as well as additional interpretations and guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service or Treasury. See Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Currency and Other Risk Factors

The nature of our worldwide operations necessitates transacting in a multitude of currencies other than the U.S. dollar. That exposes us to the inherent risks of volatile international currency markets and governmental interference. Some of the countries where we maintain offices and/or have agency relationships maintain strict currency control regulations that influence our ability to hedge foreign currency exposure. We try to compensate for these exposures by accelerating international currency settlements among our offices and agents. We may enter into foreign currency hedging transactions where there are regulatory or commercial limitations on our ability to move money freely around the world or the short-term financial outlook in any country is such that hedging is the most time-sensitive way to mitigate short-term exchange losses. Any such hedging activity during 2022 and 2021 was insignificant. We had no foreign currency derivatives outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021. Net foreign currency losses were approximately $2 million and $12 million for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Historically, our business has not been adversely affected by inflation. However, starting in 2021 and continuing in 2022, many countries including the United States experienced higher inflation than in recent years. In 2022 our business has experienced rising labor costs, significant service provider rate increases, higher rent and occupancy and other expenses, which could continue to increase in 2023. Due to the high degree of competition in the marketplace we may not be able to increase our prices to our customers to offset this inflationary pressure, which could lead to an erosion in our margins and operating income in the future. Conversely, raising our prices to keep pace with inflationary pressure may result in a decrease in customer demand. As we are not required to purchase or maintain extensive property and equipment and have not otherwise incurred substantial interest rate-sensitive indebtedness, we currently have limited direct exposure to increased costs resulting from increases in interest rates.

There is uncertainty as to how new regulatory requirements and volatility in oil prices will continue to impact future buy rates. Because fuel is an integral part of carriers' costs and impacts both our buy rates and sell rates, we would expect our revenues and costs to be impacted as carriers adjust rates for the effect of changing fuel prices. To the extent that future fuel prices increase and we are unable to pass through the increase to our customers, fuel price increases could adversely affect our operating income.

34.


 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal source of liquidity is cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $2,130 million, as compared with $868 million for 2021. This $1,262 million increase is primarily due to collection of accounts receivable when compared to the same period in 2021. At December 31, 2022, working capital was $2,464 million, including cash and cash equivalents of $2,034 million. Other than our recorded lease liabilities, we had no long-term obligations or debt at December 31, 2022. Management believes that our current cash position and operating cash flows will be sufficient to meet our capital and liquidity requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future, including meeting any contingent liabilities related to standby letters of credit and other obligations.

As a customs broker, we make significant cash advances for a select group of our credit-worthy customers. These cash advances are for customer obligations such as the payment of duties and taxes to customs authorities in various countries throughout the world. Increases in duty rates could result in increases in the amounts we advance on behalf of our customers. Cash advances are a “pass through” and are not recorded as a component of revenue and expense. The billings of such advances to customers are accounted for as a direct increase in accounts receivable from the customer and a corresponding increase in accounts payable to governmental customs authorities. As a result of these “pass through” billings, the conventional Days Sales Outstanding or DSO calculation does not directly measure collection efficiency. For customers that meet certain criteria, we have agreed to extend payment terms beyond our customary terms. Our accounts receivable and consequently our customer credit exposure increased as a result of historically high freight rates in 2021 and 2022. Management believes that it has established effective credit control procedures, and historically has experienced relatively insignificant collection problems.

Our business historically has been subject to seasonal fluctuations, and this is expected to continue in the future. Cash flows fluctuate as a result of this seasonality. Historically, the first quarter shows an excess of customer collections over customer billings. This results in positive cash flow. The increased activity associated with periods of higher demand (typically commencing late second or early third quarter and continuing well into the fourth quarter) causes an excess of customer billings over customer collections. This cyclical growth in customer receivables consumes available cash. However, there is no assurance that this seasonal trend will occur in the future or to what degree it will continue to be impacted in 2023 by the softening of the global economy.

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $88 million, as compared with $37 million in 2021. Capital expenditures were $87 million in 2022 compared to $36 million in 2021. Total anticipated capital expenditures in 2023 are currently estimated to be $100 million. This includes routine capital expenditures, leasehold and building improvements and investments in technology.

Cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $1,685 million as compared with $614 million in 2021. We have a Discretionary Stock Repurchase Plan under which management is allowed to repurchase shares to reduce the issued and outstanding stock to 140 million shares of common stock, down from 150 million at December 31, 2022 as authorized by the Board of Directors in February 2023. We used the proceeds from stock option exercises, employee stock purchases and available cash to repurchase our common stock on the open market to reduce issued and outstanding shares. During 2022 and 2021, we used cash to repurchase 14.5 million shares of common stock at an average price of $108.88 per share and 4.4 million shares of common stock at an average price of $117.54 per share, respectively. In addition, during 2022 and 2021, we paid cash dividends of $1.34 and $1.16 per share, respectively.

We follow established guidelines relating to credit quality, diversification and maturities of our investments to preserve principal and maintain liquidity. Historically, our investment portfolio has not been adversely impacted by disruptions occurring in the credit markets. However, there can be no assurance that our investment portfolio will not be adversely affected in the future.

We cannot predict what further impact ongoing uncertainties in the global economy, inflation, rising interest rates, political uncertainty nor the pandemic may have on our operating results, freight volumes, pricing, amounts advanced on behalf of our customers, changes in consumer demand, carrier stability and capacity, customers’ abilities to pay or changes in competitors' behavior. The Company expects that the February 2022 cyber-attack will not have a material adverse impact on its future business, revenues, expenses, results of operations and cash flows.

 

35.


 

We maintain international unsecured bank lines of credit for short-term working capital purposes. A few of these credit lines are supported by standby letters of credit issued by a United States bank or guarantees issued by the Company to the foreign banks issuing the credit line. At December 31, 2022, borrowings under these credit lines were $58 million and we were contingently liable for $78 million from standby letters of credit and guarantees. The standby letters of credit and guarantees relate to obligations of our foreign subsidiaries for credit extended in the ordinary course of business by direct carriers, primarily airlines, and for duty and tax deferrals available from governmental entities responsible for customs and value-added-tax. The total underlying amounts due and payable for transportation and governmental excises are properly recorded as obligations in the accounting records of the respective foreign subsidiaries, and there would be no need to record additional expense in the unlikely event the parent company is required to perform.

We have lease arrangements primarily for office and warehouse space in all districts where we conduct business. As of December 31, 2022, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $686 million, with $112 million payable within 12 months.

We typically enter into unconditional purchase obligations with asset-based providers (generally short-term in nature) reserving space on a guaranteed basis. The pricing of these obligations varies to some degree with market conditions. We only enter into agreements that management believes we can fulfill. In the regular course of business, we also enter into agreements with service providers to maintain or operate equipment, facilities or software that can be longer than one year. We also regularly have contractual obligations for specific projects related to improvements of our owned or leased facilities and information technology infrastructure. Purchase obligations outstanding as of December 31, 2022 totaled $150 million.

Our foreign subsidiaries regularly remit dividends to the U.S. parent company after evaluating their working capital requirements and funds necessary to finance local capital expenditures. In some cases, our ability to repatriate funds from foreign operations may be subject to foreign exchange controls. At December 31, 2022, cash and cash equivalent balances of $722 million were held by our non-United States subsidiaries, of which $20 million was held in banks in the United States. Earnings of our foreign subsidiaries are not considered to be indefinitely reinvested outside of the United States.

As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any material off-balance-sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(2) of SEC Regulation S-K.

ITEM 7A — QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. These risks are primarily related to foreign exchange risk and changes in short-term interest rates. The potential impact of our exposure to these risks is presented below:

Foreign Exchange Risk

We conduct business in many different countries and currencies. Our business often results in billings issued in a country and currency that differs from that where the expenses related to the service are incurred. In the ordinary course of business, we create numerous intercompany transactions and may have receivables, payables and currencies that are not denominated in the local functional currency. This brings foreign exchange risk to our earnings. The principal foreign exchange risks to which Expeditors is exposed include Chinese Yuan, Euro, Mexican Peso, Canadian Dollar and British Pound.

Foreign exchange rate sensitivity analysis can be quantified by estimating the impact on our earnings as a result of hypothetical changes in the value of the U.S. dollar, our functional currency, relative to the other currencies in which we transact business. All other things being equal, an average 10% weakening of the U.S. dollar, throughout the year ended December 31, 2022, would have had the effect of raising operating income by approximately $94 million. An average 10% strengthening of the U.S. dollar, for the same period, would have the effect of reducing operating income by approximately $77 million. This analysis does not take into account changes in shipping patterns based upon this hypothetical currency fluctuation. For example, a weakening in the U.S. dollar would be expected to increase exports from the United States and decrease imports into the United States over some relevant period of time, but the exact effect of this change cannot be quantified without making speculative assumptions.

We currently do not use derivative financial instruments to manage foreign currency risk and only enter into foreign currency hedging transactions in limited locations where regulatory or commercial limitations restrict our ability to move money freely. Any such hedging activity throughout the year ended December 31, 2022, was insignificant. Net foreign currency losses were approximately $2 million and $12 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. We had no foreign currency derivatives outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021. We instead follow a policy of accelerating international currency settlements to manage foreign exchange risk relative to intercompany billings. As of December 31, 2022, we had $73 million of net unsettled intercompany transactions. The majority of intercompany billings are resolved within 30 days.

36.


 

Interest Rate Risk

At December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2,034 million, of which $995 million was invested at various short-term market interest rates. We had no long-term debt at December 31, 2022. A hypothetical change in the interest rate of 10 basis points at December 31, 2022 would not have a significant impact on our earnings.

In management’s opinion, there has been no material change in our interest rate risk exposure between 2022 and 2021.

37.


 

ITEM 8 — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The following documents are filed on the pages listed below, as part of Part II, Item 8 of this report.

 

Document

 

Page

 

 

 

1

 

 

Financial Statements and Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-1 through F-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated Financial Statements:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021

 

F-5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statements of Earnings for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statements of Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-10 through F-24

 

38.


 

ITEM 9 — CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A — CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2022, due to a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting described below.

Management Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Our system of internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and Board of Directors regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and our Board of Directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

A system of internal control can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, under the oversight of our Board of Directors, evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting, as of December 31, 2022, based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, management identified a material weakness in internal control related to certain database changes made to an information technology (IT) system that supports the Company’s financial reporting processes. A control to review and authorize direct changes to databases that support several key operational and accounting systems did not capture the complete population of database changes and, as such did not operate effectively as designed. Management concluded that unauthorized database changes could have gone undetected, could have resulted in errors in the financial statements for the year ended 2022 and could have had a direct or indirect impact on financial reporting controls, as there were no alternate information technology general control (ITGC) or processes operating at a sufficient level of precision that would have timely detected improper -- database changes. Management believes that this control deficiency was a result of IT control processes lacking sufficient precision to support the successful operation of this ITGC and was overly dependent upon interpretation, knowledge and actions of certain individuals with IT expertise performing the control. The material weakness did not result in any identified misstatements to the financial statements, and there were no changes to previously released financial results. Based on this material weakness, the Company’s management concluded that at December 31, 2022, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective.

KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, which is included on page F-3.

 

39.


 

Remediation

Subsequent to the identification of the material weakness and prior to the issuance of these financial statements on Form 10-K, the Company (i) performed a lookback review of all direct changes made to the database subject to the control operating ineffectiveness for the full year 2022 and (ii) conducted supplemental procedures and found no evidence of improper changes or changes with direct or consequential impact on internal controls over financial reporting. As a result of identifying this issue management will be implementing certain enhancements designed to strengthen IT program change management processes and will continue to conduct monthly supplemental lookback review procedures of direct database changes until improvements are fully in place. We expect that such enhancements will be completed prior to the end of 2023.

Changes in Internal Controls

Except for the material weakness identified during the quarter, as of December 31, 2022, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting other than related to the cyber-attack as discussed below.

With respect to the cyber-attack that is discussed in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements in this report, starting on February 20, 2022, we shut down most of our operating systems globally, including our accounting information systems, to manage the safety of our entire global systems environment. We engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate and assist in the remediation. Our Board of Directors was regularly apprised of, and directors with experience in cybersecurity participated in, the critical investigation and remediation activities. Subsequently, we restored and strengthened the security of our systems and networks and enhanced the continuous monitoring of the entire information security environment. Additionally, we have continued to implement various improvements to our network and processes to mitigate the risk of recurrence and severity of such incidents in the future.

During the disruption caused by the cyber-attack, we deployed interim procedures and controls to maintain our systems of internal control over financial reporting. As a result of this cyber-attack and based on information known at this date, management determined that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective and the cyber-attack did not materially affect, nor was it reasonably likely to affect the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

We are developing a new accounting system, which is being implemented on a worldwide basis over the next several years. This system is expected to improve the efficiency of certain financial and transactional processes and reporting. This transition affects the processes that constitute our internal control over financial reporting and requires testing for operating effectiveness.

Our management has confidence in our internal controls and procedures. Nevertheless, our management, including Expeditors’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all errors or intentional fraud. An internal control system, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of such internal controls are met. Further, the design of an internal control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all internal control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all of our control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.

ITEM 9B — OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

ITEM 9C — DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

40.


 

PART III

ITEM 10 — DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information required by this item is set forth below or incorporated by reference to information under the caption “Proposal No. 1: Election of Directors” and to the information under the caption “Board Operations" in Expeditors' definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023. See also Part I - Item 1 – Information about our Executive Officers.

Audit Committee and Audit Committee Financial Expert

Expeditors' Board has a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The members of the Audit Committee are Brandon S. Pedersen, James M. Dubois, and Olivia D. Polius. Expeditors' Board has determined that Brandon S. Pedersen, Chair of the Audit Committee, and Olivia D. Polius, are the audit committee financial experts as defined by Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act and that each member of the Audit Committee is independent under the NASDAQ independence standards applicable to audit committee members.

Code of Ethics and Governance Guidelines

Expeditors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct that applies to all Expeditors employees including, of course, its principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer. The Code of Business Conduct is posted with the governance documents on Expeditors' website at https://investor.expeditors.com. Expeditors will post any amendments to the Code of Business Conduct at that location. In the unlikely event that the Board of Directors approves any sort of waiver to the Code of Business Conduct for Expeditors' executive officers or directors, information concerning such waiver will also be posted at that location. No such waivers have been granted.

ITEM 11 — EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information under the captions “Director Compensation Program” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in Expeditors' definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023.

ITEM 12 — SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information under the captions “Shareholder Engagement & Stock Ownership Information” in Expeditors' definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023.

41.


 

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2022, regarding compensation plans under which equity securities of Expeditors are authorized for issuance.

 

 

 

(a)

 

 

(b)

 

 

(c)

 

Plan Category

 

Number of
Securities
to be Issued
Upon Exercise
of Outstanding
Options,
Warrants
and Rights (1)

 

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights (2)

 

 

Number of
Securities
Available for
Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities
Reflected in
Column (a)) (3)

 

Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders

 

 

2,861,347

 

 

$

44.86

 

 

 

3,172,538

 

Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Security Holders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

2,861,347

 

 

$

44.86

 

 

 

3,172,538

 

 

(1)
Represents shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, vesting of outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units that will vest if target levels are achieved under the Omnibus Incentive Plan.
(2)
The weighted average exercise price does not take into account the shares issuable upon vesting of outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units, which have no exercise price.
(3)
Includes 1,131,713 available for issuance under the employee stock purchase plans and 2,040,825 available for future grants of equity awards under the Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information under the captions “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in Expeditors' definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023.

ITEM 14 — PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information under the caption “Relationship with Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in Expeditors' definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 2, 2023.

42.


 

PART IV

ITEM 15 — EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

 

 

 

 

Page

(a)

1.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

 

 

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-1 through F-4

 

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021

 

F-5

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-6

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-7

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-8

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

F-9

 

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-10 through F-24

 

2.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

 

 

 

 

Schedules are omitted because of the absence of conditions under which they are required or because the required information is given in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

 

 

 

3.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION PLANS AND ARRANGEMENTS

 

 

The following list is a subset of the list of exhibits described below and contains all compensatory plans, contracts or arrangements in which any director or executive officer of Expeditors is a participant, unless the method of allocation of benefits thereunder is the same for management and non-management participants:

(1)
Form of Employment Agreement executed by Jeffrey S. Musser, Expeditors' President and Chief Executive Officer. See Exhibit 10.23.
(2)
Form of Employment Agreement executed by Expeditors' Chief Financial Officer. See Exhibit 10.25.
(3)
General Form of Executive Employment Agreement. See Exhibit 10.27.
(4)
Expeditors' 2008 Executive Incentive Compensation Plan. See Exhibit 10.35.
(5)
Expeditors' 2002 Amended and Restated Employee Stock Purchase Plan. See Exhibit 10.42.
(6)
Expeditors' 2012 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.59.
(7)
Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2012 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.60.
(8)
Expeditors' 2013 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.61.
(9)
Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2013 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.62.
(10)
Expeditors' 2014 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.63.
(11)
Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors; 2014 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.64.
(12)
Expeditors' 2015 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.65.
(13)
Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2015 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.66.
(14)
Expeditors' 2016 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.67.
(15)
Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2016 Stock Option Plan. See Exhibit 10.68.
(16)
Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. See Exhibit 10.69
(17)
Form of Executive Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement used in connection with executive restricted stock units granted under Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan. See Exhibit 10.70
(18)
Form of Performance Share Award Agreement used in connection with performance share units granted under Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan. See Exhibit 10.72

43.


 

(b)
EXHIBITS

Exhibit

Number

 

Exhibit

 

 

 

3.1

 

Expeditors' Restated Articles of Incorporation and the Articles of Amendment as amended. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 10-K, filed on or about February 23, 2018.)

 

 

3.2

 

Expeditors' Amended and Restated Bylaws. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Form 8-K, filed on or about November 9, 2022.)

 

 

4.1

 

Description of Registrant’s Securities. (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed on or about February 21, 2020.)

 

 

 

10.23

 

Form of Employment Agreement executed by Jeffrey S. Musser, Expeditors' President and Chief Executive Officer dated December 31, 2008. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to Form 10-K, filed on or about February 26, 2015.)

 

 

10.25

 

Form of Employment Agreement executed by Expeditors' Chief Financial Officer dated December 31, 2008. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 to Form 10-K, filed on or about February 27, 2009.)

 

 

10.27

 

General Form of Executive Employment Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to Form 10-Q, filed on or about August 6, 2015.)

 

 

 

10.35

 

Expeditors' 2008 Executive Incentive Compensation Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix C of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 21, 2008.)

 

 

10.42

 

Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 27, 2019.)

 

 

 

10.59

 

Expeditors' 2012 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 20, 2012.)

 

 

 

10.60

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2012 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 20, 2012.)

 

 

 

10.61

 

Expeditors' 2013 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 29, 2013.)

 

 

 

10.62

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2013 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 29, 2013.)

 

 

 

10.63

 

Expeditors' 2014 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 21, 2014.)

 

 

 

10.64

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2014 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 21, 2014.)

 

 

 

10.65

 

Expeditors' 2015 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about April 9, 2015.)

 

 

 

10.66

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2015 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about April 9, 2015.)

 

 

 

44.


 

10.67

 

Expeditors' 2016 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 24, 2016.)

 

 

 

10.68

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with options granted under Expeditors' 2016 Stock Option Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 24, 2016.)

 

 

 

10.69

 

Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B of Expeditors' Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement pursuant to Regulation 14A filed on or about March 24, 2020.)

 

 

 

10.70

 

Form of Executive Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement used in connection with executive restricted stock units granted under Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.70 to Form S-8 filed on or about May 16, 2017.)

 

 

 

10.72

 

Form of Performance Share Award Agreement used in connection with performance share units granted under Expeditors' Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.72 to Form 10-Q filed on or about August 7, 2019.)

 

 

 

21.1

 

Subsidiaries of the registrant.

 

 

 

23.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

 

 

 

31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

32

 

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

101.INS

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.

 

 

 

101.LAB

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.

 

 

 

101.PRE

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.

 

 

 

104

 

The cover page from the Company’s Yearly Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, has been formatted in Inline XBRL.

 

ITEM 16 — FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

45.


 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: March 1, 2023

 

 

EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Bradley S. Powell

 

 

 

Bradley S. Powell

 

 

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on February 28, 2023.

 

Signature

 

Title

 

 

/s/ Jeffrey S. Musser

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Jeffrey S. Musser)

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

/s/ Bradley S. Powell

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Bradley S. Powell)

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

 

/s/ Robert P. Carlile

 

Chairman of the Board and Director

(Robert P. Carlile)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Glenn M. Alger

 

Director

(Glenn M. Alger)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ James M. DuBois

 

Director

(James M. DuBois)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Mark A. Emmert

 

Director

(Mark A. Emmert)

 

 

 

 

/s/ Diane H. Gulyas

 

Director

(Diane H. Gulyas)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Brandon S. Pedersen

 

Director

(Brandon S. Pedersen)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Liane J. Pelletier

 

Director

(Liane J. Pelletier)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Olivia D. Polius

 

Director

(Olivia D. Polius)

 

 

 

 

46.


 

 

EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

COMPRISING ITEM 8

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TO SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION FOR THE

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022, 2021, AND 2020

47.


 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive income, equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated March 1, 2023 expressed an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Assessment of gross unrecognized tax benefits

As discussed in Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company is subject to examination by taxing authorities throughout the world in the normal course of business. The Company estimates additional tax expense, as well as interest and penalties that could arise from certain tax audits.

We identified the assessment of certain gross unrecognized tax benefits as a critical audit matter. Complex auditor judgment was required in evaluating the Company’s interpretation of tax law and its estimate of the ultimate resolution of tax positions.

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included the following. We tested certain internal controls over the Company’s unrecognized tax benefit process. This included controls related to the interpretation of tax law and its application in the liability estimation process. Since tax law is complex and often subject to interpretations, we involved tax professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in:

F-1


 

evaluating the Company’s interpretation of tax laws,
assessing transfer pricing positions for compliance with applicable laws and regulations,
inspecting settlement documents with applicable taxing authorities and appeals documents with applicable tax courts,
assessing the expiration of statutes of limitations,
comparing historical gross unrecognized tax benefits to actual results upon conclusion of tax audits or expiration of the statute of limitations, and
performing an independent assessment of the Company’s tax positions and comparing the results to the Company’s assessment.

In addition, we assessed the responses received directly from the Company’s external legal counsel regarding tax positions for which they had been engaged.

/s/ KPMG LLP

 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 1982.

 

Seattle, Washington

March 1, 2023

 

F-2


 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.:

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. and subsidiaries' (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weakness, described below, on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive income, equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated March 1, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. A material weakness in internal control related to certain database changes made to an information technology (IT) system that supports the Company’s financial reporting process has been identified and included in management’s assessment. A control to review and authorize direct changes to databases that support several key operational and accounting systems did not capture the complete population of database changes and, as such did not operate effectively as designed. Management concluded that unauthorized database changes could have gone undetected, could have resulted in errors in the financial statements for the year ended 2022 and could have had a direct or indirect impact on financial reporting controls, as there were no alternate ITGC controls or processes operating at a sufficient level of precision that would have timely detected improper database changes. The material weakness was considered in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the 2022 consolidated financial statements, and this report does not affect our report on those consolidated financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting (Item 9A). Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

F-3


 

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

/s/ KPMG LLP

Seattle, Washington

March 1, 2023

 

F-4


 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

In thousands, except per share data

 

December 31,

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

2,034,131

 

 

$

1,728,692

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

2,107,645

 

 

 

3,810,286

 

Deferred contract costs

 

 

257,545

 

 

 

987,266

 

Other

 

 

118,696

 

 

 

108,801

 

Total current assets

 

 

4,518,017

 

 

 

6,635,045

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

501,916

 

 

 

487,870

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

507,503

 

 

 

459,158

 

Goodwill

 

 

7,927

 

 

 

7,927

 

Deferred federal and state income taxes, net

 

 

37,449

 

 

 

729

 

Other assets, net

 

 

17,622

 

 

 

19,200

 

Total assets

 

$

5,590,434

 

 

$

7,609,929

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

1,108,996

 

 

$

2,012,461

 

Accrued expenses, primarily salaries and related costs

 

 

479,262

 

 

 

403,625

 

Contract liabilities

 

 

323,101

 

 

 

1,142,026

 

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 

 

95,621

 

 

 

82,019

 

Federal, state and foreign income taxes

 

 

47,075

 

 

 

86,166

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

2,054,055

 

 

 

3,726,297

 

Noncurrent portion of operating lease liabilities

 

 

422,844

 

 

 

385,641

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ Equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 2,000 shares; none issued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 640,000. Issued and outstanding: 154,313 shares and 167,210 shares at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively

 

 

1,543

 

 

 

1,672

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

139

 

 

 

3,160

 

Retained earnings

 

 

3,310,892

 

 

 

3,620,008

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(202,553

)

 

 

(130,414

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

3,110,021

 

 

 

3,494,426

 

Noncontrolling interest

 

 

3,514

 

 

 

3,565

 

Total equity

 

 

3,113,535

 

 

 

3,497,991

 

Total liabilities and equity

 

$

5,590,434

 

 

$

7,609,929

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-5


 

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

In thousands, except per share data

 

Years ended December 31,

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airfreight services

 

$

5,886,886

 

 

$

6,771,402

 

 

$

4,274,026

 

Ocean freight and ocean services

 

 

6,544,559

 

 

 

5,545,818

 

 

 

2,342,344

 

Customs brokerage and other services

 

 

4,639,839

 

 

 

4,206,297

 

 

 

2,968,023

 

Total revenues

 

 

17,071,284

 

 

 

16,523,517

 

 

 

9,584,393

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airfreight services

 

 

4,359,726

 

 

 

5,067,380

 

 

 

3,168,808

 

Ocean freight and ocean services

 

 

5,188,066

 

 

 

4,364,160

 

 

 

1,751,850

 

Customs brokerage and other services

 

 

3,029,105

 

 

 

2,626,615

 

 

 

1,736,044

 

Salaries and related costs

 

 

2,056,387

 

 

 

2,062,351

 

 

 

1,538,104

 

Rent and occupancy costs

 

 

209,532

 

 

 

186,287

 

 

 

169,863

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

57,338

 

 

 

51,312

 

 

 

56,959

 

Selling and promotion

 

 

24,293

 

 

 

16,026

 

 

 

18,436

 

Other

 

 

322,466

 

 

 

240,060

 

 

 

203,892

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

15,246,913

 

 

 

14,614,191

 

 

 

8,643,956

 

Operating income

 

 

1,824,371

 

 

 

1,909,326

 

 

 

940,437

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

25,554

 

 

 

8,807

 

 

 

10,415

 

Interest expense

 

 

(23,277

)

 

 

(411

)

 

 

(219

)

Other, net

 

 

9,243

 

 

 

6,894

 

 

 

5,931

 

Other income, net

 

 

11,520

 

 

 

15,290

 

 

 

16,127

 

Earnings before income taxes

 

 

1,835,891

 

 

 

1,924,616

 

 

 

956,564

 

Income tax expense

 

 

475,286

 

 

 

505,771

 

 

 

258,350

 

Net earnings

 

 

1,360,605

 

 

 

1,418,845

 

 

 

698,214

 

Less net earnings attributable to the noncontrolling interest

 

 

3,206

 

 

 

3,353

 

 

 

2,074

 

Net earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,357,399

 

 

$

1,415,492

 

 

$

696,140

 

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders per share

 

$

8.26

 

 

$

8.27

 

 

$

4.07

 

Basic earnings attributable to shareholders per share

 

$

8.33

 

 

$

8.37

 

 

$

4.14

 

Weighted average diluted shares outstanding

 

 

164,427

 

 

 

171,250

 

 

 

170,896

 

Weighted average basic shares outstanding

 

 

163,010

 

 

 

169,145

 

 

 

168,333

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-6


 

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

In thousands

 

Years ended December 31,

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net earnings

 

$

1,360,605

 

 

$

1,418,845

 

 

$

698,214

 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax (benefit) expense of ($5,037) in 2022, ($5,275) in 2021, and $4,254 in 2020

 

 

(73,451

)

 

 

(32,408

)

 

 

30,759

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income

 

 

(73,451

)

 

 

(32,408

)

 

 

30,759

 

Comprehensive income

 

 

1,287,154

 

 

 

1,386,437

 

 

 

728,973

 

Less comprehensive income attributable to the noncontrolling interest

 

 

1,894

 

 

 

1,606

 

 

 

1,399

 

Comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,285,260

 

 

$

1,384,831

 

 

$

727,574

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-7


 

Consolidated Statements of Equity

In thousands, except per share data

Years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Par
value

 

 

Additional
paid-in
capital

 

 

Retained
earnings

 

 

Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss

 

 

Total
shareholders’
equity

 

 

Noncontrolling
interest

 

 

Total
equity

 

Balance at December 31, 2019

 

 

169,622

 

 

$

1,696

 

 

$

3,203

 

 

$

2,321,316

 

 

$

(131,187

)

 

 

2,195,028

 

 

$

2,191

 

 

$

2,197,219

 

Cumulative adjustment for adoption of new accounting pronouncement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,074

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,074

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,074

 

Shares issued under employee stock plans

 

 

4,272

 

 

 

43

 

 

 

175,736

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

175,779

 

 

 

 

 

 

175,779

 

Shares repurchased under provisions of stock repurchase plan

 

 

(4,600

)

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(84,941

)

 

 

(247,400

)

 

 

 

 

 

(332,387

)

 

 

 

 

 

(332,387

)

Stock compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62,498

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62,498

 

 

 

 

 

 

62,498

 

Net earnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

696,140

 

 

 

 

 

 

696,140

 

 

 

2,074

 

 

 

698,214

 

Other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31,434

 

 

 

31,434

 

 

 

(675

)

 

 

30,759

 

Dividends and dividend equivalents paid ($1.04)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,000

 

 

 

(175,929

)

 

 

 

 

 

(174,929

)

 

 

 

 

 

(174,929

)

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

 

169,294

 

 

 

1,693

 

 

 

157,496

 

 

 

2,600,201

 

 

 

(99,753

)

 

 

2,659,637

 

 

 

3,590

 

 

 

2,663,227

 

Shares issued under employee stock plans

 

 

2,294

 

 

 

23

 

 

 

90,910

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

90,933

 

 

 

 

 

 

90,933

 

Shares repurchased under provisions of stock repurchase plan

 

 

(4,378

)

 

 

(44

)

 

 

(315,565

)

 

 

(198,985

)

 

 

 

 

 

(514,594

)

 

 

 

 

 

(514,594

)

Stock compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

69,385

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

69,385

 

 

 

 

 

 

69,385

 

Net earnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,415,492

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,415,492

 

 

 

3,353

 

 

 

1,418,845

 

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(30,661

)

 

 

(30,661

)

 

 

(1,747

)

 

 

(32,408

)

Dividends and dividend equivalents paid ($1.16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

934

 

 

 

(196,700

)

 

 

 

 

 

(195,766

)

 

 

 

 

 

(195,766

)

Distribution to noncontrolling interest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,631

)

 

 

(1,631

)

Balance at December 31, 2021

 

 

167,210

 

 

 

1,672

 

 

 

3,160

 

 

 

3,620,008

 

 

 

(130,414

)

 

 

3,494,426

 

 

 

3,565

 

 

 

3,497,991

 

Shares issued under employee stock plans

 

 

1,632

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

61,629

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

61,645

 

 

 

 

 

 

61,645

 

Shares repurchased under provisions of stock repurchase plan

 

 

(14,529

)

 

 

(145

)

 

 

(130,212

)

 

 

(1,451,551

)

 

 

 

 

 

(1,581,908

)

 

 

 

 

 

(1,581,908

)

Stock compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

64,397

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

64,397

 

 

 

 

 

 

64,397

 

Net earnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,357,399

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,357,399

 

 

 

3,206

 

 

 

1,360,605

 

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(72,139

)

 

 

(72,139

)

 

 

(1,312

)

 

 

(73,451

)

Dividends and dividend equivalents paid ($1.34)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,165

 

 

 

(214,964

)

 

 

 

 

 

(213,799

)

 

 

 

 

 

(213,799

)

Distribution to noncontrolling interest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,945

)

 

 

(1,945

)

Balance at December 31, 2022

 

 

154,313

 

 

$

1,543

 

 

$

139

 

 

$

3,310,892

 

 

$

(202,553

)

 

$

3,110,021

 

 

$

3,514

 

 

$

3,113,535

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

F-8


 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

In thousands

 

Years ended December 31,

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Operating Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings

 

$

1,360,605

 

 

$

1,418,845

 

 

$

698,214

 

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provisions for losses on accounts receivable

 

 

11,050

 

 

 

7,540

 

 

 

5,584

 

Deferred income tax (benefit) expense

 

 

(33,240

)

 

 

(3,690

)

 

 

8,371

 

Stock compensation expense

 

 

64,397

 

 

 

69,385

 

 

 

62,498

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

57,338

 

 

 

51,312

 

 

 

56,959

 

Other, net

 

 

1,252

 

 

 

3,790

 

 

 

3,960

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decrease (Increase) in accounts receivable

 

 

1,592,341

 

 

 

(1,869,827

)

 

 

(647,193

)

(Decrease) increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

 

(798,123

)

 

 

1,041,805

 

 

 

430,452

 

Decrease (Increase) in deferred contract costs

 

 

714,960

 

 

 

(700,273

)

 

 

(189,447

)

(Decrease) increase in contract liabilities

 

 

(798,356

)

 

 

803,837

 

 

 

217,699

 

(Decrease) increase in income taxes payable, net

 

 

(55,129

)

 

 

57,867

 

 

 

8,502

 

Decrease (increase) in other, net

 

 

12,580

 

 

 

(12,097

)

 

 

(630

)

Net cash from operating activities

 

 

2,129,675

 

 

 

868,494

 

 

 

654,969

 

Investing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

 

(86,824

)

 

 

(36,247

)

 

 

(47,543

)

Other, net

 

 

(890

)

 

 

(398

)

 

 

1,516

 

Net cash from investing activities

 

 

(87,714

)

 

 

(36,645

)

 

 

(46,027

)

Financing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from borrowing on lines of credit

 

 

81,756

 

 

 

10,063

 

 

 

257

 

Payments from borrowing on lines of credit

 

 

(30,289

)

 

 

(2,551

)

 

 

(214

)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

 

 

80,980

 

 

 

106,105

 

 

 

186,345

 

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(1,581,908

)

 

 

(514,594

)

 

 

(332,387

)

Dividends paid

 

 

(213,799

)

 

 

(195,766

)

 

 

(174,929

)

Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards

 

 

(19,335

)

 

 

(15,172

)

 

 

(10,566

)

Distribution to noncontrolling interest

 

 

(1,945

)

 

 

(1,631

)

 

 

 

Net cash from financing activities

 

 

(1,684,540

)

 

 

(613,546

)

 

 

(331,494

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(51,982

)

 

 

(17,402

)

 

 

19,852

 

Change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

305,439

 

 

 

200,901

 

 

 

297,300

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

1,728,692

 

 

 

1,527,791

 

 

 

1,230,491

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

2,034,131

 

 

$

1,728,692

 

 

$

1,527,791

 

Supplemental Cash Flow Information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

 

$

566,533

 

 

$

442,549

 

 

$

239,849

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-9


 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A. | Basis of Presentation

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (the "Company”) is a non-asset-based provider of global logistics services operating through a worldwide network of offices and exclusive or non-exclusive agents. The Company’s customers include retailing and wholesaling, electronics, high technology, industrial and manufacturing companies around the world.

International trade is influenced by many factors, including economic and political conditions in the United States and abroad, currency exchange rates, laws and policies relating to tariffs, trade restrictions, foreign investments and taxation. Periodically, governments consider a variety of changes to tariffs and trade restrictions and accords. The Company cannot predict the outcome of ongoing proposals or negotiations, nor can the Company predict the effects adoption of any such proposal will have on the Company’s business. Doing business in foreign locations also subjects the Company to a variety of risks and considerations not normally encountered by domestic enterprises. In addition to being influenced by governmental policies and inter-governmental disputes concerning international trade, the Company’s business may also be affected by political developments and changes in government personnel or policies as well as economic turbulence, natural disasters and pandemics, political unrest and security concerns in the nations and on the shipping lanes in which it does business and the future impact that these events may have on international trade, oil prices and security costs.

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries stated in U.S. dollars, the Company’s reporting currency. In addition, the consolidated financial statements also include the accounts of operating entities where the Company maintains a parent-subsidiary relationship through unilateral control over assets and operations together with responsibility for payment of all liabilities, notwithstanding a lack of technical majority ownership of the subsidiary's common stock.

All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All dollar amounts in the notes are presented in thousands except for per share data or unless otherwise specified. Certain prior year amounts on the consolidated statements of earnings and consolidated statements of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

B. | Cash Equivalents

All highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at date of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents.

C. | Accounts Receivable

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted a new accounting standard update related to the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. The Company determined that this new guidance is applicable to its accounts receivable, which are short term and for which the Company has not historically experienced significant credit losses. The adoption had an immaterial effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures. The Company adopted this standard using the modified retrospective transition method resulting in a $6 million adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings and an $8 million reduction to the opening balance of allowance for credit loss.

The valuation allowance reduces a financial asset’s balance for credit losses expected to be incurred over the assets contractual term. The Company’s trade accounts receivable present similar credit risk characteristics and the allowance for credit loss is estimated on a collective basis, using a credit loss-rate method that uses historical credit loss information and considers the current economic environment. Additional allowances may be necessary in the future if changes in economic conditions are significant enough to affect expected credit losses. The Company has recorded an allowance for credit loss in the amounts of $9,466 and $6,686 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Additions and write-offs have not been significant in the periods presented.

F-10


 

D. | Long-Lived Assets, Depreciation and Amortization

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and are depreciated or amortized on the straight-line method over the shorter of the assets’ estimated useful lives or lease terms. Useful lives for major categories of property and equipment are as follows:

 

 

Buildings and land improvements

 

30 to 40 years

 

Building improvements

 

3 to 10 years

 

Furniture, fixtures, equipment and purchased software

 

3 to 10 years

 

Expenditures for maintenance, repairs, and replacements of minor items are charged to earnings as incurred. Major upgrades and improvements that extend the life of the asset are capitalized. Upon disposition, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is included in income for the period.

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company performed the required goodwill annual impairment test during the fourth quarter and determined that no impairment had occurred.

E. | Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Right-of-use (ROU) assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. All ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date at the present value of lease payments over the lease term. ROU assets are adjusted for lease incentives and initial direct costs. The lease term includes renewal options exercisable at the Company's sole discretion when the Company is reasonably certain to exercise that option. As the Company's leases generally do not have an implicit rate, the Company uses an estimated incremental borrowing rate based on market information available at the commencement date to determine the present value. Certain of our leases include variable payments, which may vary based upon changes in facts or circumstances after the start of the lease. The Company excludes variable payments from ROU assets and lease liabilities, to the extent not considered fixed, and instead expenses variable payments as incurred. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in rent and occupancy expenses on the consolidated statement of earnings.

Additionally, the Company elected to apply the short-term lease exemption for leases with a non-cancelable period of twelve months or less and has chosen not to separate non-lease components from lease components and instead to account for each as a single lease component.

F. | Revenues and Revenue Recognition

The Company provides global logistics services, including air and ocean freight consolidation and forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing and distribution, purchase order management, vendor consolidation, time-definite transportation services, temperature-controlled transit, cargo insurance, specialized cargo monitoring and tracking and other logistics solutions. As a non-asset-based carrier, the Company does not own transportation assets.

The Company derives its revenues by entering into agreements that are generally comprised of a single performance obligation, which is that freight is shipped for and received by the customer. Each performance obligation is comprised of one or more of the Company’s services. The Company's three principal services are the revenue categories presented in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings: 1) airfreight services, 2) ocean freight and ocean services, and 3) customs brokerage and other services. The most significant drivers of changes in gross revenues and related transportation expenses are volume, sell rates and buy rates. Volume has a similar effect on the change in both gross revenues and related transportation expenses in each of the Company's three primary sources of revenue.

The major portion of the Company's air and ocean freight revenues are generated by purchasing transportation services on a volume basis from direct (asset-based) carriers and then reselling that space to customers on a retail basis. The rate billed to our customers (the sell rate) is recognized as revenues and the rate we pay to the carrier (the buy rate) is recognized in operating expenses as the directly related cost of transportation and other expenses.

F-11


 

Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised services to customers, which occurs over time. The Company has determined that in general each shipment transaction or service order constitutes a separate contract with the customer. However, when the Company provides multiple services to a customer, different contracts may be present for different services. The Company combines the contracts, which form a single performance obligation, and accounts for the contracts as a single contract when certain criteria are met.

The Company typically satisfies its performance obligations as services are rendered over time. A typical shipment would include services rendered at origin, such as pick-up and delivery to port, freight services from origin to destination port and destination services, such as customs clearance and final delivery. The Company measures the performance of its obligations as services are completed over the life of a shipment, including services at origin, freight and destination.

This method of measurement of progress depicts the pattern of the Company's actual performance under the contracts with the customer. There are no significant judgments involved in measuring the progress of the performance obligations. Amounts allocated to the services for each performance obligation are typically based on standalone selling prices. The Company does not have significant variable consideration in its contracts. Taxes assessed concurrently with a specific revenue-producing transaction that are collected by the Company from a customer are excluded from revenues.

Typically, the transaction price for each of the Company's services are quoted as separate components; however, customers on occasion will request an all-inclusive rate for a set of services known in the industry as “door-to-door service.” This means that the customer is billed a single rate for all services from pickup at origin to delivery at destination. In these instances, the transaction price is allocated to each service on a relative selling price basis.

The Company fulfills nearly all of its performance obligations within a one to two month-period and contracts with customers have an original expected duration of less than one year. The Company generally has an unconditional right to consideration when the services are initiated or soon thereafter. The amount due from the customer is recorded as accounts receivable. The amounts related to services that are not yet completed at the reporting date are presented as contract liabilities, with corresponding direct costs to fulfill the performance obligation that will be satisfied in the future presented as deferred contract costs. The Company generally does not incur incremental costs to obtain the contract with the customer. The Company may incur costs to fulfill the contract with the customers, such as set-up costs. However, the amount incurred is insignificant to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company evaluates whether amounts billed to customers should be reported as revenues on a gross or net basis. Generally, revenue is recorded on a gross basis when the Company is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the services, when it assumes the risk of loss, when it has discretion in setting the prices for the services to the customers, and when the Company has the ability to direct the use of the services provided by the third party. In most cases the Company acts as an indirect carrier. When acting as an indirect carrier, the Company issues a House Airway Bill (HAWB), a House Ocean Bill of Lading (HOBL) or a House Seaway Bill to customers as the contract of carriage. In turn, when the freight is physically tendered to a direct carrier, the Company receives a contract of carriage known as a Master Airway Bill for airfreight shipments and a Master Ocean Bill of Lading for ocean shipments. When revenue is recorded on a net basis, the amounts earned are determined using a fixed fee, a per unit of activity fee or a combination thereof. For revenues earned in other capacities, for instance, when the Company does not issue a HAWB, a HOBL, or a House Seaway Bill or otherwise act solely as an agent for the shipper, only the commissions and fees earned for such services are included in revenues. In these transactions, the Company is not a principal and report only commissions and fees earned in revenues.

The Company disaggregates its revenues by its three primary service categories in the consolidated financial statements: airfreight, ocean freight and ocean services and customs brokerage and other. Revenues by geographic location are presented within business segment information in Note 10.

 

F-12


 

G. | Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method of accounting. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributed to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, the tax effect of loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts expected to be realized.

The Company uses a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain income tax positions (tax contingencies). The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company considers many factors when evaluating its tax positions and estimating our tax benefits, which may require periodic adjustments and which may not match the ultimate future outcome. The Company recognizes interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits or underpayment of income taxes in interest expense and recognizes penalties in operating expenses.

U.S. corporate income tax laws and regulations include a territorial tax framework and provisions for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) under which taxes on foreign income are imposed on the excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of certain foreign subsidiaries, Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) under which taxes are imposed on certain base eroding payments to affiliated foreign companies as well as U.S. income tax deductions for Foreign-derived intangible income (FDII). The Company treats BEAT and GILTI as discrete adjustments as components of current income tax expense.

Earnings of the Company's foreign subsidiaries are not considered to be indefinitely reinvested outside of the United States.

H | Net Earnings Attributable to Shareholders per Common Share

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares outstanding. Dilutive potential common shares represent outstanding stock options, stock purchase rights and unvested restricted stock units. Basic earnings attributable to shareholders per share is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding without taking into consideration dilutive potential common shares outstanding.

I. | Stock Plans

The Company maintains several equity incentive plans under which the Company has granted stock options, director restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSUs), performance stock units (PSUs) and employee stock purchase rights to employees or directors. The Company recognizes stock compensation expense based on the fair value of awards granted to employees and directors under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Plan and employee stock purchase rights plans. This expense, adjusted for expected performance and forfeitures, is recognized in net earnings on a straight-line basis over the service periods as salaries and related costs on the consolidated statements of earnings. Expense for PSUs is recognized over the service period when it is probable the performance goal will be achieved and based on the most probable outcome of performance conditions at the reporting date. RSUs and PSUs awarded to certain employees meeting specific retirement eligibility criteria at the time of grant are expensed immediately, as there is no substantive service period associated with those awards.

 

F-13


 

J. | Foreign Currency

Foreign currency amounts attributable to foreign operations have been translated into U.S. dollars using year-end exchange rates for assets and liabilities, historical rates for equity, and weighted average rates for revenues and expenses. Currency fluctuations are a normal operating factor in the conduct of the Company’s business and foreign exchange transaction gains and losses are included in revenues and operating expenses. Also, the Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange fluctuations on monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies that are not the local functional currency. Foreign exchange gains and losses on such balances are recognized in net earnings within customs brokerage and other services costs. Net foreign currency losses in 2022, 2021 and 2020 were $1,616, $11,806, and $25,398, respectively.

The Company follows a policy of accelerating international currency settlements to manage its foreign exchange exposure. Accordingly, the Company enters into foreign currency hedging transactions only in limited locations where there are regulatory or commercial limitations on the Company’s ability to move money freely. Such hedging activity during 2022, 2021 and 2020 was insignificant. The Company had no foreign currency derivatives outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021.

K. | Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of net earnings and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net earnings. For the Company, these consist of foreign currency translation gains and losses, net of related income tax effects and comprehensive income or loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests. Upon the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the Company's investment in a foreign entity, cumulative translation adjustments are recorded as reclassification adjustments in other comprehensive income and recognized in net earnings.

Accumulated other comprehensive loss consisted entirely of foreign currency translation adjustments, net of related income tax effects, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.

L. | Segment Reporting

The Company is organized functionally in geographic operating segments. Accordingly, management focuses its attention on revenues, directly related cost of transportation and other expenses for each of the Company’s three primary sources of revenue, salaries and other operating expenses, operating income, identifiable assets, capital expenditures, depreciation and amortization and equity generated in each of these geographical areas when evaluating the effectiveness of geographic management. Transactions among the Company’s various offices are conducted using the same arms-length pricing methodologies the Company uses when its offices transact business with independent agents. Certain costs are allocated among the segments based on the relative value of the underlying services, which can include allocation based on actual costs incurred or estimated cost plus a profit margin.

M. | Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of the assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period. The Company uses estimates primarily in the following areas: accounts receivable valuation, accrual of costs related to ancillary services the Company performs, typically at the destination location, self-insured liabilities, accrual of various tax liabilities, accrual of loss contingencies, including estimates for ongoing and potential claims as a result of the downtime caused by the cyber-attack, calculation of share-based compensation expense and estimates related to determining the lease term and discount rate when measuring ROU assets and lease liabilities. See Note 11 for further information on estimates related to the cyber-attack. Actual results could be materially different from the estimated provisions and accruals recorded.

NOTE 2. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Company’s financial instruments, other than cash, consist primarily of cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses. The carrying value of these financial instruments approximates their fair value.

F-14


 

Cash and cash equivalents consist of the following:

 

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

December 31, 2021

 

 

 

 

Cost

 

 

Fair Value

 

 

Cost

 

 

Fair Value

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and overnight deposits

 

$

1,038,903

 

 

$

1,038,903

 

 

$

1,241,565

 

 

$

1,241,565

 

 

Corporate commercial paper

 

 

977,887

 

 

 

978,325

 

 

 

423,261

 

 

 

423,279

 

 

Time deposits and money market funds

 

 

17,341

 

 

 

17,341

 

 

 

63,866

 

 

 

63,866

 

 

Total cash and cash equivalents

 

$

2,034,131

 

 

$

2,034,569

 

 

$

1,728,692

 

 

$

1,728,710

 

The fair value of corporate commercial paper and time deposits is based on the use of market interest rates for identical or similar assets (Level 2 fair value measurement).

NOTE 3. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

The components of property and equipment are as follows:

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

Land

 

$

139,635

 

 

$

147,310

 

 

Buildings and leasehold improvements

 

 

505,525

 

 

 

494,797

 

 

Furniture, fixtures, equipment and purchased software

 

 

420,485

 

 

 

382,676

 

 

Construction in progress

 

 

4,029

 

 

 

4,764

 

 

Property and equipment, at cost

 

 

1,069,674

 

 

 

1,029,547

 

 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

567,758

 

 

 

541,677

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

$

501,916

 

 

$

487,870

 

 

NOTE 4. LEASES

The Company enters into lease agreements primarily for office and warehouse space in all districts where it conducts business. As of December 31, 2022, all of the Company's leases are operating leases. Lease terms are either on a month-to-month basis or terminate at various times through 2040. The Company also has two long-term operating lease arrangements to use land, for which the usage rights were entirely prepaid. Usage rights for those arrangements are recognized in rent expense over the lease terms up to 2057.

Lease cost is recorded under rent and occupancy expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings and is comprised of the following for the year-ended December 31:

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Operating lease cost

 

$

107,858

 

 

$

98,219

 

 

$

91,436

 

Variable lease cost

 

 

47,553

 

 

 

39,607

 

 

 

26,857

 

Total lease cost

 

$

155,411

 

 

$

137,826

 

 

$

118,293

 

Variable lease cost includes short-term lease expenses, which are insignificant.

Maturities of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2022 are as follows:

2023

 

$

112,010

 

2024

 

 

97,113

 

2025

 

 

88,513

 

2026

 

 

71,776

 

2027

 

 

56,552

 

Thereafter

 

 

159,363

 

Total minimum lease payments

 

 

585,327

 

Less imputed interest

 

 

66,862

 

Lease liability

 

$

518,465

 

 

F-15


 

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $101 million in operating lease obligations with maturities through 2034 for several office and warehouse locations not included in the lease liabilities, as the lease had not yet commenced.

The weighted-average remaining lease term and weighted-average discount rate are as follows:

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years)

 

 

7.10

 

 

 

7.45

 

Weighted-average discount rate

 

 

3.63

%

 

 

3.71

%

Other information related to the Company's operating leases are as follows:

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities

 

$

151,654

 

 

$

117,409

 

 

$

109,515

 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities

 

$

106,772

 

 

$

95,804

 

 

$

90,101

 

 

NOTE 5. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

A. | Stock Repurchase Plan

The Company has a Discretionary Stock Repurchase Plan, originally approved by the Board of Directors in November 2001 and amended from time to time, under which management as of December 31, 2022 is authorized to repurchase shares down to 150,000 shares of common stock outstanding. The maximum number of shares available for repurchase under this plan will increase as the total number of outstanding shares increases. On February 20, 2023, the Board of Directors amended the plan to further authorize repurchases down to 140,000 shares. This authorization has no expiration date.

Cumulative shares of common stock repurchased since inception of the above plan and a previous now expired plan were 137,498.

B. | Omnibus Incentive Plan

On May 5, 2020, the shareholders approved the Company's Amended and Restated 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Amended 2017 Plan), which made available 5,500 shares of the Company's common stock in aggregate to be issued under any award type allowed by the Amended 2017 Plan. The RSUs granted in 2022, 2021 and 2020 generally vest annually over three years based on continued employment and are settled upon vesting in shares of the Company's common stock on a one-for-one basis.

The Amended 2017 Plan also provides for annual equity awards to non-employee directors. The Amended 2017 Plan provides for an annual grant of equity awards to each participant with a fair market value that may not exceed $600, or $800 with respect to the Chairman of the Board. Restricted shares granted to non-employee directors in 2022, 2021 and 2020 vest at the time of grant and there were no unvested restricted shares as of December 31, 2022. In 2022, 16 fully vested RSUs with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $102.65 were granted to non-employee directors.

The following table summarizes information about RSUs and restricted shares:

 

 

 

Number of
shares

 

 

Weighted average
grant date fair value

 

 

Nonvested at December 31, 2021

 

 

794

 

 

$

89.74

 

 

RSUs granted

 

 

372

 

 

$

102.65

 

 

RSUs vested

 

 

(439

)

 

$

85.37

 

 

RSUs forfeited

 

 

(20

)

 

$

93.24

 

 

Nonvested at December 31, 2022

 

 

707

 

 

$

99.09

 

 

F-16


 

In 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company also awarded 84, 75 and 95 PSUs, respectively, under the Amended 2017 Plan. Nonvested PSUs include performance conditions to be finally measured based on financial results at December 31, 2023 and 2024. The final number of PSUs will be determined using an adjustment factor of up to 2 times or down to 0.5 of the targeted PSU grant, depending on the degree of achievement of the designated performance targets. If the minimum performance thresholds are not achieved, no shares will be issued. Each PSU will convert to one share of the Company's common stock upon vesting.

At December 31, 2022, there were 161 shares of nonvested PSUs at target levels, with a weighted-average grant date fair value of $107.58. At December 31, 2022, 197 PSUs with a grant date fair value of $72.90 became vested based on satisfaction of performance goals but had not settled.

RSUs and PSUs granted under the Amended 2017 Plan have dividend equivalent rights, which entitle holders of RSUs and PSUs to the same dividend value per share as holders of common stock. Dividend equivalent rights are subject to the same vesting and other terms and conditions as the corresponding unvested RSUs and PSUs and are accumulated and paid in shares when the underlying awards is released.

At December 31, 2022, there are approximately 2,041 shares available for grant under the Amended 2017 Plan.

When restrictions on employee RSUs or PSUs lapse the Company derives a tax deduction in certain countries based on the fair market value of the award upon vesting and subject to the limits allowed under each jurisdiction’s tax regulations. Until vesting, a deferred tax asset is recognized and measured based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant (consistent with measurement for stock compensation expense). Any excess or shortfall in the tax deduction resulting from the difference between fair market value of the award between the date of grant and the date of vesting is recognized in income tax expense upon vesting.

C. | Stock Option Plans

Prior to 2017, the Company granted stock options under stock option plans approved annually by shareholders. Those plans generally allowed for the grant of qualified and non-qualified grants and outstanding options expire no more than ten years from the date of grant. All options were fully vested as of December 31, 2020. No additional shares can be granted under any of the Company's stock option plans other than the Amended 2017 Plan.

Upon the exercise of non-qualified stock options and disqualifying dispositions of incentive stock options, the Company derives a tax deduction measured by the excess of the market value over the option price at the date of exercise or disqualifying disposition. The portion of the benefit from the deduction, which equals the estimated fair value of the options (previously recognized as compensation expense) is recorded as a credit to the deferred tax asset for non-qualified stock options and is recorded as a credit to current tax expense for any disqualified dispositions of incentive stock options. For disqualifying dispositions, when the amount of the tax deduction is less than the cumulative amount of compensation expense recognized for the award, the amount credited to current tax expense is limited to the tax benefit associated with the tax deduction.

The following table summarizes information about stock options:

 

 

 

Number of
shares

 

 

Weighted
average
exercise
price
per share

 

 

Weighted
average
remaining
contractual life

 

 

Aggregate
intrinsic
value

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2021

 

 

2,329

 

 

$

44.07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options granted

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options exercised

 

 

(539

)

 

$

41.48

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options canceled

 

 

(6

)

 

$

41.53

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2022

 

 

1,784

 

 

$

44.86

 

 

 

2.29

 

 

$

105,400

 

 

Exercisable at December 31, 2022

 

 

1,784

 

 

$

44.86

 

 

 

2.29

 

 

$

105,400

 

 

F-17


 

D. | Stock Purchase Plan

In May 2002, the shareholders approved the Company’s 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the 2002 Plan), which became effective August 1, 2002. As last amended in May 2019, the Company’s 2002 Plan provides for 15,305 shares of the Company’s common stock to be reserved for issuance upon exercise of purchase rights granted to employees who elect to participate through regular payroll deductions beginning August 1 of each year. The purchase rights are exercisable on July 31 of the following year at a price equal to the lesser of (1) 85% of the fair market value of the Company’s stock on the last trading day in July or (2) 85% of the fair market value of the Company’s stock on the first trading day in August of the preceding year. A total of 14,174 shares have been issued under the 2002 Plan since inception and $32,458 has been withheld from employees at December 31, 2022 in connection with the plan year ending July 31, 2023.

E. | Share-Based Compensation Expense

The fair value of employee stock purchase rights granted under the 2002 Plan is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes Model with the following assumptions:

 

 

 

For the years ended December 31,

 

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Dividend yield

 

 

1.30

%

 

 

1.10

%

 

 

1.40

%

 

Volatility

 

 

29

%

 

 

20

%

 

 

32

%

 

Risk-free interest rates

 

 

3.02

%

 

 

0.08

%

 

 

0.15

%

 

Expected life (years)

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

Weighted average fair value

 

$

27.07

 

 

$

28.55

 

 

$

23.26

 

The Company’s expected volatility assumptions are based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock over a period of time commensurate to the expected life. The expected life assumption is based on the one-year offering period. The risk-free interest rate for the expected term of the option is based on the corresponding yield curve in effect at the time of grant for U.S. Treasury bonds having the same term as the expected life of the option. The expected dividend yield is based on the Company’s historical experience. The forfeiture assumption used to calculate compensation expense is primarily based on historical pre-vesting employee forfeiture patterns.

The compensation expense for employee RSUs and PSUs is based on the fair market value of the Company’s share of common stock on the date of grant. RSUs and PSUs awarded in 2022, 2021 and 2020 were granted at a weighted-average grant date fair value of $102.65, $113.82 and $74.00, respectively.

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 was approximately $34 million, $82 million and $117 million, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock awards is $52 million and the weighted average period over which that cost is expected to be recognized is 1.6 years.

Shares issued as a result of stock option exercises, restricted stock awards, vested RSUs, vested PSUs and employee stock plan purchases are issued as new shares outstanding by the Company.

NOTE 6. BASIC AND DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares outstanding. Dilutive potential shares represent outstanding stock options, including purchase options under the Company's employee stock purchase plan and unvested RSUs. Basic earnings attributable to shareholders per share is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding without taking into consideration dilutive potential common shares outstanding.

F-18


 

The following table reconciles the numerator and the denominator of the basic and diluted per share computations for earnings attributable to shareholders.

 

 

 

Net earnings
attributable to
shareholders

 

 

Weighted
average
shares

 

 

Earnings per
share

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,357,399

 

 

 

163,010

 

 

$

8.33

 

 

Effect of dilutive potential common shares

 

 

 

 

 

1,417

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,357,399

 

 

 

164,427

 

 

$

8.26

 

 

2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,415,492

 

 

 

169,145

 

 

$

8.37

 

 

Effect of dilutive potential common shares

 

 

 

 

 

2,105

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

1,415,492

 

 

 

171,250

 

 

$

8.27

 

 

2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

696,140

 

 

 

168,333

 

 

$

4.14

 

 

Effect of dilutive potential common shares

 

 

 

 

 

2,563

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted earnings attributable to shareholders

 

$

696,140

 

 

 

170,896

 

 

$

4.07

 

 

In 2022, 1,072 potential common shares were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been antidilutive. Substantially all outstanding potential common shares in 2021 and 2020 were dilutive.

F-19


 

NOTE 7. INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense (benefit) includes the following components:

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

State

 

 

Foreign

 

 

Total

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current

 

$

149,840

 

 

$

63,140

 

 

$

295,546

 

 

$

508,526

 

 

Deferred

 

 

(27,904

)

 

 

(5,336

)

 

 

 

 

 

(33,240

)

 

 

 

$

121,936

 

 

$

57,804

 

 

$

295,546

 

 

$

475,286

 

 

2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current

 

$

126,840

 

 

$

54,484

 

 

$

328,137

 

 

$

509,461

 

 

Deferred

 

 

(3,981

)

 

 

291

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,690

)

 

 

 

$

122,859

 

 

$

54,775

 

 

$

328,137

 

 

$

505,771

 

 

2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current

 

$

37,551

 

 

$

18,432

 

 

$

193,996

 

 

$

249,979

 

 

Deferred

 

 

8,440

 

 

 

(69

)

 

 

 

 

 

8,371

 

 

 

 

$

45,991

 

 

$

18,363

 

 

$

193,996

 

 

$

258,350

 

The components of earnings before income taxes are as follows:

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

United States

 

$

987,186

 

 

$

823,009

 

 

$

325,009

 

 

Foreign

 

 

848,705

 

 

 

1,101,607

 

 

 

631,555

 

 

 

 

$

1,835,891

 

 

$

1,924,616

 

 

$

956,564

 

Income tax expense differs from amounts computed by applying the United States Federal income tax rate of 21% when compared to earnings before income taxes as a result of the following:

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Computed “expected” tax expense

 

$

385,537

 

 

$

404,169

 

 

$

200,879

 

 

Increase (decrease) in income taxes resulting from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of foreign taxes

 

 

32,293

 

 

 

46,644

 

 

 

48,584

 

 

State income taxes, net of Federal income tax benefit

 

 

45,665

 

 

 

43,272

 

 

 

14,507

 

 

Nondeductible executive compensation

 

 

8,019

 

 

 

8,981

 

 

 

4,324

 

 

Stock compensation expense, net

 

 

454

 

 

 

(6,238

)

 

 

(8,461

)

 

Other, net

 

 

3,318

 

 

 

8,943

 

 

 

(1,483

)

 

 

 

$

475,286

 

 

$

505,771

 

 

$

258,350

 

In 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company also benefited from U.S. Federal tax credits totaling $41.6 million, $27.9 million and, $16.7 million, respectively, principally because of withholding taxes related to the Company's foreign operations, as well as U.S. income tax deductions for Foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) of $41.7 million, $22.6 million, and $10.0 million, respectively. The Company's effective tax rate in 2021 and 2020 benefited from significant share-based compensation deductions. These amounts were offset by the effect of higher foreign tax rates of the Company's international subsidiaries, when compared to the U.S. Federal income tax rate of 21%, as well as certain expenses that are no longer deductible under the 2017 Tax Act, including certain executive compensation in excess of amounts allowed. The Company treats BEAT and GILTI as components of current income tax expense. For the years 2022, 2021 and 2020, there was no BEAT expense and GILTI expense was insignificant.

F-20


 

The tax effects of temporary differences and tax credits that give rise to significant portions of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are as follows:

 

Years ended December 31,

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

Deferred Tax Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deductible stock compensation expense, net

 

$

9,707

 

 

$

11,291

 

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

72,506

 

 

 

67,065

 

 

Capitalized R&D expenses

 

 

23,246

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued third party obligations, deductible for taxes upon economic performance

 

 

9,601

 

 

 

6,504

 

 

Excess of financial statement over tax depreciation

 

 

10,280

 

 

 

9,182

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

 

12,184

 

 

 

8,729

 

 

Retained liability for cargo claims

 

 

1,592

 

 

 

1,430

 

 

Provision for credit losses on accounts receivable

 

 

3,550

 

 

 

2,168

 

 

Total gross deferred tax assets

 

 

142,666

 

 

 

106,369

 

 

Deferred Tax Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unremitted foreign earnings, net of related foreign tax credits

 

 

36,542

 

 

 

41,560

 

 

Operating lease assets

 

 

68,675

 

 

 

64,080

 

 

Total gross deferred tax liabilities

 

 

105,217

 

 

 

105,640

 

 

Net deferred tax assets

 

$

37,449

 

 

$

729

 

Based on management’s review of the Company’s tax positions, the Company had no significant unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.

The Company is subject to taxation in various states and many foreign jurisdictions including the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The Company believes that its tax positions, including intercompany transfer pricing policies, are reasonable and consistent with established transfer pricing methodologies and norms. The Company is under, or may be subject to, audit or examination and assessments by the relevant authorities in respect to these and any other jurisdictions primarily for years 2009 and thereafter. Sometimes audits result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution could result in significant additional tax, penalties and interest payments being required. The Company establishes liabilities when, despite its belief that the tax return positions are appropriate and consistent with tax law, it concludes that it may not be successful in realizing the tax position. In evaluating a tax position, the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position and in consultation with qualified legal and tax advisors.

The total amount of the Company’s tax contingencies may increase in 2023. In addition, changes in state, federal, and foreign tax laws and changes, including transfer pricing and changes in interpretations of these laws may increase the Company’s existing tax contingencies. The timing of the resolution of income tax examinations can be highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid including interest and penalties, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts recorded. It is reasonably possible that within the next twelve months the Company may undergo further audits and examinations by various tax authorities and possibly may reach resolution related to income tax examinations in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements could result in changes to the Company’s contingencies related to positions on tax filings in future years. The estimate of any ultimate tax liability contains assumptions based on experiences, judgments about potential actions by taxing jurisdictions as well as judgments about the likely outcome of issues that have been raised by the taxing jurisdiction. The Company cannot currently provide an estimate of the range of possible outcomes. Any interest and penalties expensed in relation to the underpayment of income taxes were insignificant for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

 

F-21


 

NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS

A. | Unconditional Purchase Obligations

The Company enters into short-term unconditional purchase obligations with asset-based providers reserving space on a guaranteed basis. The pricing of these obligations varies to some degree with market conditions. Historically, the Company has met these obligations in the normal course of business within one year. In the regular course of business, the Company also enters into agreements with service providers to maintain or operate equipment, facilities or software that can be longer than one year. We also regularly have contractual obligations for specific projects related to improvements of our owned or leased facilities and information technology infrastructure. Purchase obligations outstanding as of December 31, 2022 totaled $150 million.

B. | Employee Benefits

The Company has employee savings plans under which the Company provides a discretionary matching contribution. In 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s contributions under the plans were $24,774, $22,587, and $20,713, respectively.

C. | Credit Arrangements

Certain of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries maintain bank lines of credit for short-term working capital purposes. A few of these credit lines are supported by standby letters of credit issued by a United States bank, or guarantees issued by the Company to the foreign banks issuing the credit line. At December 31, 2022, borrowings under these credit lines were $57,778 and the Company was contingently liable for approximately $77,528 under outstanding standby letters of credit and guarantees. At December 31, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all restrictive covenants of these credit lines and the associated credit facilities.

The standby letters of credit and guarantees relate to obligations of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries for credit extended in the ordinary course of business by direct carriers, primarily airlines, and for duty and tax deferrals available from governmental entities responsible for customs and value-added-tax (VAT) taxation. The total underlying amounts due and payable for transportation and governmental excise taxes are properly recorded as obligations in the books of the respective foreign subsidiaries, and there would be no need to record additional expense in the unlikely event the parent company were to be required to perform.

NOTE 9. CONTINGENCIES

The Company is involved in claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters that arise in the ordinary course of business and are subject to inherent uncertainties. Currently, in management's opinion and based upon advice from legal advisors, none of these matters are expected to have a significant effect on the Company's operations, cash flows or financial position. As of December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $22 million in tax contingencies in other operating expenses and $22 million of interest expense in the consolidated statement of earnings, related to a non income tax contingency. Other amounts recorded for claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters are not significant to the Company's operations, cash flows or financial position. At this time, the Company is unable to estimate any additional loss or range of reasonably possible losses, if any, beyond the amounts recorded, that might result from the resolution of these matters, including potential claims resulting from a cyber-attack in February 2022.

F-22


 

NOTE 10. BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION

Financial information regarding 2022, 2021 and 2020 operations by the Company’s designated geographic areas is as follows:

 

 

UNITED
STATES

 

 

OTHER
NORTH
AMERICA

 

 

LATIN
AMERICA

 

 

NORTH
ASIA

 

 

SOUTH
ASIA

 

 

EUROPE

 

 

MIDDLE
EAST,
AFRICA
AND
INDIA

 

 

ELIMINATIONS

 

 

CONSOLIDATED

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

4,869,364

 

 

 

517,662

 

 

 

257,721

 

 

 

5,810,088

 

 

 

2,144,034

 

 

 

2,471,456

 

 

 

1,005,489

 

 

 

(4,530

)

 

 

17,071,284

 

Directly related cost of transportation and other expenses 1

 

$

2,943,232

 

 

 

310,206

 

 

 

160,273

 

 

 

4,853,902

 

 

 

1,751,187

 

 

 

1,768,102

 

 

 

791,887

 

 

 

(1,892

)

 

 

12,576,897

 

Salaries and other operating expenses 2

 

$

944,050

 

 

 

188,192

 

 

 

72,177

 

 

 

504,805

 

 

 

238,658

 

 

 

573,598

 

 

 

151,069

 

 

 

(2,533

)

 

 

2,670,016

 

Operating income 3

 

$

982,082

 

 

 

19,264

 

 

 

25,271

 

 

 

451,381

 

 

 

154,189

 

 

 

129,756

 

 

 

62,533

 

 

 

(105

)

 

 

1,824,371

 

Identifiable assets at period end

 

$

3,070,697

 

 

 

209,516

 

 

 

123,003

 

 

 

675,022

 

 

 

316,777

 

 

 

938,660

 

 

 

283,872

 

 

 

(27,113

)

 

 

5,590,434

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

56,411

 

 

 

2,954

 

 

 

937

 

 

 

2,976

 

 

 

1,543

 

 

 

17,868

 

 

 

4,135

 

 

 

 

 

 

86,824

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

35,461

 

 

 

1,892

 

 

 

1,123

 

 

 

4,682

 

 

 

1,966

 

 

 

9,640

 

 

 

2,574

 

 

 

 

 

 

57,338

 

Equity

 

$

2,246,417

 

 

 

31,132

 

 

 

56,416

 

 

 

274,703

 

 

 

136,944

 

 

 

263,278

 

 

 

145,269

 

 

 

(40,624

)

 

 

3,113,535

 

2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

4,344,825

 

 

 

440,226

 

 

 

209,161

 

 

 

6,363,054

 

 

 

2,046,569

 

 

 

2,258,911

 

 

 

865,509

 

 

 

(4,738

)

 

 

16,523,517

 

Directly related cost of transportation and other expenses 1

 

$

2,491,947

 

 

 

245,842

 

 

 

125,940

 

 

 

5,295,612

 

 

 

1,666,792

 

 

 

1,558,705

 

 

 

675,303

 

 

 

(1,986

)

 

 

12,058,155

 

Salaries and other operating expenses 2

 

$

1,019,236

 

 

 

123,147

 

 

 

57,779

 

 

 

515,703

 

 

 

204,574

 

 

 

494,760

 

 

 

143,581

 

 

 

(2,744

)

 

 

2,556,036

 

Operating income

 

$

833,642

 

 

 

71,237

 

 

 

25,442

 

 

 

551,739

 

 

 

175,203

 

 

 

205,446

 

 

 

46,625

 

 

 

(8

)

 

 

1,909,326

 

Identifiable assets at period end

 

$

3,699,748

 

 

 

265,872

 

 

 

122,327

 

 

 

1,587,659

 

 

 

572,980

 

 

 

1,089,963

 

 

 

350,843

 

 

 

(79,463

)

 

 

7,609,929

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

19,527

 

 

 

983

 

 

 

471

 

 

 

1,786

 

 

 

2,057

 

 

 

9,507

 

 

 

1,916

 

 

 

 

 

 

36,247

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

29,826

 

 

 

1,780

 

 

 

1,079

 

 

 

5,047

 

 

 

1,965

 

 

 

9,228

 

 

 

2,387

 

 

 

 

 

 

51,312

 

Equity

 

$

2,599,804

 

 

 

111,952

 

 

 

41,743

 

 

 

224,765

 

 

 

140,129

 

 

 

294,348

 

 

 

123,598

 

 

 

(38,348

)

 

 

3,497,991

 

2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

2,776,537

 

 

 

325,878

 

 

 

156,163

 

 

 

3,425,510

 

 

 

961,989

 

 

 

1,455,746

 

 

 

486,331

 

 

 

(3,761

)

 

 

9,584,393

 

Directly related cost of transportation and other expenses 1

 

$

1,568,452

 

 

 

190,326

 

 

 

93,249

 

 

 

2,744,264

 

 

 

711,004

 

 

 

992,357

 

 

 

359,002

 

 

 

(1,952

)

 

 

6,656,702

 

Salaries and other operating expenses 2

 

$

877,117

 

 

 

100,687

 

 

 

48,114

 

 

 

332,978

 

 

 

149,269

 

 

 

375,900

 

 

 

104,968

 

 

 

(1,779

)

 

 

1,987,254

 

Operating income

 

$

330,968

 

 

 

34,865

 

 

 

14,800

 

 

 

348,268

 

 

 

101,716

 

 

 

87,489

 

 

 

22,361

 

 

 

(30

)

 

 

940,437

 

Identifiable assets at period end

 

$

2,532,324

 

 

 

186,204

 

 

 

85,085

 

 

 

876,856

 

 

 

272,106

 

 

 

752,589

 

 

 

240,984

 

 

 

(18,645

)

 

 

4,927,503

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

31,604

 

 

 

1,886

 

 

 

564

 

 

 

2,202

 

 

 

2,264

 

 

 

6,394

 

 

 

2,629

 

 

 

 

 

 

47,543

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

37,081

 

 

 

1,946

 

 

 

1,194

 

 

 

4,961

 

 

 

1,876

 

 

 

8,029

 

 

 

1,872

 

 

 

 

 

 

56,959

 

Equity

 

$

1,928,945

 

 

 

67,243

 

 

 

32,273

 

 

 

241,155

 

 

 

121,411

 

 

 

196,637

 

 

 

114,369

 

 

 

(38,806

)

 

 

2,663,227

 

1.
Directly related cost of transportation and other expenses totals operating expenses from airfreight services, ocean freight and ocean services and customs brokerage and other services as shown in the consolidated statements of earnings.
2.
Salaries and other operating expenses totals salaries and related, rent and occupancy, depreciation and amortization, selling and promotion and other as shown in the consolidated statements of earnings.
3.
In 2022, Other North America operating income includes charges of $22 million related to non-income tax contingencies.

Other than the United States, only the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong, represented more than 10% of the Company’s total revenue, total operating income, total identifiable assets or equity in any period presented as noted in the table below.

 

 

 

2022

 

2021

 

2020

 

Revenues

 

27%

 

31%

 

29%

 

Operating income

 

19%

 

22%

 

29%

 

Identifiable assets at year end

 

10%

 

17%

 

14%

 

Equity

 

7%

 

4%

 

6%

 

F-23


 

 

NOTE 11. CYBER-ATTACK

On February 20, 2022, management determined that the Company was the subject of a targeted cyber-attack. Upon discovering the incident, the Company shut down most of its connectivity, operating and accounting systems globally to manage the safety of its overall global systems environment and initiated its cybersecurity incident response plan. The Company's security teams, supplemented by commercial cybersecurity experts and in collaboration with law enforcement, worked to remediate this cyber-attack. The Company undertook extensive efforts to identify, contain, eradicate and methodically recover from this attack as rapidly as possible. The Company had limited ability to conduct operations for a period of approximately three weeks including but not limited to arranging for shipments of freight or managing customs and distribution activities for its customers’ shipments and performing accounting functions. The Company’s teams worked to maintain its business operations and minimize the impact on its employees, customers and operating partners, including regulatory agencies. The Company continues to incorporate learnings from the cyber-attack.

In 2022 the Company has incurred, as a result of its inability to timely process and move shipments through ports during the downtime, approximately $47 million in incremental demurrage charges, net of recoveries, where the Company has direct liability for this obligation. These costs are recorded in customs brokerage and other services expenses.

Additionally, principally in the first quarter, the Company incurred investigation, recovery, and remediation expenses, including costs to recover its operational and accounting systems and to enhance cybersecurity protections. These costs are primarily comprised of various consulting services including cybersecurity experts, outside legal advisors, and other IT professional expenses. The Company also recorded estimated liabilities for potential shipment-related claims. In 2022, the total amount recorded for these items was approximately $18 million and is recorded in other operating expenses. The Company did not incur significant capital expenditures as a result of the cyber-attack.

The Company may incur additional expenses which could include third-party expenses, increased information services costs, or indemnities to customers. When the Company’s operating systems were down, many customers worked with other providers to meet their logistics needs, resulting in lower shipment volumes in the first quarter and to a lesser extent in the second quarter for which the financial impact on revenues and operating income cannot be quantified. Such costs and the ongoing impacts from the downtime caused by the cyber-attack are not expected to have further material adverse impact on the Company’s business. The Company is unable to estimate the ultimate direct and indirect financial impacts of this cyber-attack.

F-24


 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

ANNUAL REPORT

ON

FORM 10-K

FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDED

December 31, 2022

EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.

EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Description

 

 

 

21.1

 

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

 

 

 

23.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

 

31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

32

 

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

101.INS

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.LAB

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.PRE

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

104

 

The cover page from the Company’s Yearly Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, has been formatted in Inline XBRL