ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Hsbc Global Res

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) was upgraded by equities researchers at Hsbc Global Res from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $22.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $25.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.28.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

Shares of ZTO stock opened at $18.88 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.30 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of -0.03. The business’s fifty day moving average is $19.55 and its 200 day moving average is $20.52. ZTO Express has a 52-week low of $16.34 and a 52-week high of $27.50.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 18th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.02). ZTO Express (Cayman) had a net margin of 20.56% and a return on equity of 15.44%. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.73 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 106.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,288 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,758 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 10,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 1,326 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $220,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 11,518 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 1,325 shares during the period. 41.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Company Profile

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc provides express delivery and other value-added logistics services in the People's Republic of China. It offers freight forwarding services; and delivery services for e-commerce and traditional merchants, and other express service users. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China.