Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
UPS is a company that delivers packages all over the world. It just shared how much money it made this spring and summer.
UPS made $22.8 billion dollars. This was more money than experts thought it would make.
UPS also said it thinks it will make even more money by the end of the year. It now hopes to make $91.2 billion dollars in 2026.
UPS said business is strong right now, and it feels good about the rest of the year.
- company
- a business that makes or sells things
- deliver
- to bring something to a person or place
- package
- a box or wrapped item sent to someone
- revenue
- the total money a business earns
- expert
- someone who knows a lot about a subject
- hope
- to want something to happen
- business
- work done to earn money by selling goods or services
- strong
- doing well; powerful
Level 2 — Elementary
UPS, the delivery company, reported its second quarter results for 2026 on July 28, showing revenue of $22.8 billion, which beat the $21.81 billion that Wall Street analysts had expected.
The company's adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.76, ahead of the $1.66 that analysts had forecast, though the standard, unadjusted earnings per share were lower at $0.71.
Because of this strong performance, UPS raised its outlook for the whole year, now expecting total revenue of about $91.2 billion for 2026, up from its earlier prediction.
Company leaders said UPS is entering the second half of the year with strong momentum, a sign that demand for shipping remains healthy despite a shaky economy.
- quarter
- a three month period used to measure a company's finances
- analyst
- a person who studies data, like company earnings, to make predictions
- forecast
- a prediction of what will happen in the future
- adjusted earnings
- a company's profit after removing unusual one time costs or gains
- outlook
- an expectation for how something will develop
- prediction
- a statement about what will happen before it does
- demand
- how much people want to buy a product or service
- momentum
- the strength that keeps something moving forward
Level 3 — Intermediate
United Parcel Service posted second quarter 2026 results on July 28 that comfortably cleared Wall Street's bar, with consolidated revenue of $22.8 billion outpacing the $21.81 billion consensus estimate compiled by analysts.
Non GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share reached $1.76, exceeding the $1.66 forecast, even as GAAP diluted earnings per share landed at a more modest $0.71, a gap that reflects one time charges excluded from the adjusted figure.
Buoyed by the quarter's performance, UPS raised its full year 2026 revenue guidance to approximately $91.2 billion, signaling confidence that the growth seen in the spring and early summer will extend through the remainder of the year.
Executives framed the results as evidence that the company enters the second half of 2026 with strong momentum, a notable claim given persistent uncertainty elsewhere in the economy, from tariff disputes to slower consumer spending.
- consolidated
- combined into a single total, especially in financial reporting
- consensus estimate
- the average prediction made by a group of analysts
- non-GAAP
- a way of reporting earnings that excludes certain items required under standard accounting rules
- diluted
- adjusted to account for all shares that could exist, including potential future ones
- buoy
- to support or lift up, often used about confidence or results
- guidance
- a company's official prediction about its future performance
- persistent
- continuing to exist or happen over a long time
- tariff
- a tax placed on goods imported from another country
Level 4 — Advanced
United Parcel Service released second quarter 2026 results on July 28 that comfortably surpassed Wall Street's expectations, with consolidated revenue of $22.8 billion eclipsing the $21.81 billion consensus estimate compiled by analysts tracking the shipping giant.
Non GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $1.76, exceeding the $1.66 consensus, even as GAAP diluted earnings per share registered a comparatively modest $0.71, a divergence attributable to one time items excluded from the adjusted metric.
Emboldened by the quarter's trajectory, UPS lifted its full year 2026 revenue guidance to approximately $91.2 billion, a revision signaling management's conviction that the momentum evident in spring and early summer will persist through the balance of the year.
Executives characterized the results as corroborating evidence that the company enters the second half of 2026 with strong momentum, a notably confident assertion given persistent macroeconomic headwinds elsewhere, including unresolved tariff disputes and softening consumer expenditure.
- eclipse
- to surpass or exceed something significantly
- divergence
- a difference or separation between two things that might be expected to be similar
- attributable
- able to be explained as caused by a particular factor
- embolden
- to give someone greater confidence to do something
- trajectory
- the path or direction something follows as it develops over time
- conviction
- a firm belief that something is true
- corroborate
- to confirm or support a claim with additional evidence
- headwind
- a difficulty or obstacle that slows progress, used figuratively for economic challenges