Transportation stocks take a tumble in 2015

The Dow Jones Transportation Average closed at $7,566.70 on Monday, Dec. 28, down nearly 18 percent compared to December 2014.

   Bellwether transportation and logistics stocks have had a rough go of it in 2015.
   The Dow Jones Transportation Average, a U.S. stock market index that calculates the running average of the share prices of 20 major shipping companies, has fallen 17.9 percent throughout the course of the year. The DJTA closed at $7,566.70 on Monday, Dec. 28, down 1,650.74 points from a closing price of $9,217.44 on Dec. 29, 2014.
   Blue chip transportation stocks like FedEx Corp. and UPS, as well as leading logistics companies, railroads, and ocean carriers followed a similar pattern during 2015.
   Shares in FedEx have fallen 15.4 percent year-to-date, from a closing price of $175.52 on Dec. 29, 2014 to $148.41 per share at close of trading Monday evening. The parcel delivery company struggled to deliver all of its orders in time for the holidays this year due to the effects of storms in the Midwestern United States and record online shopping volumes.
   FedEx archrival UPS, which reported no significant disruptions or delays to its peak holiday shipping orders, hasn’t fared much better, dropping 13.7 percent year-over-year to $97.00 per share as of close of trading Monday.
   Even acquisition-heavy, third-party logistics provider XPO Logistics has seen its stock tumble in 2015. XPO shares ended yesterday at $25.94, down an astonishing 35.1 percent from the same time last year despite a series of high-profile purchases during the year.
   C.H. Robinson’s stock slipped 17.3 percent over the course of the year, from $76.39 per share Dec. 29, 2014 to yesterday’s closing price of $63.18 per share.
   Leading East Coast United States freight railroad CSX Corp. has seen its stock fall from $36.81 per share last December to $25.94 at close of trading yesterday, a 29.5 percent decline. North American railways have been hit hard by weak volumes caused primarily by the falling price of crude oil, coal and other key commodities traditionally shipped by rail.
   Even Danish shipping conglomerate AP Møller – Maersk Group, which owns port terminal, third party logistics, and oil businesses in addition to leading ocean carrier Maersk Line, has seen a steep drop off in share prices. Stock in AP Møller – Maersk A/S has fallen 28.3 percent during the year, from 12,400 Danish Krone (U.S. $1,816.32) in December 2014 to a closing price of 8,885 Danish Krone yesterday.