ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.45.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ZTO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on ZTO Express (Cayman) from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Weiss Ratings raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Macquarie Infrastructure raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTO opened at $24.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of -0.18. The business’s 50-day moving average is $24.65 and its 200-day moving average is $22.60. ZTO Express has a 1 year low of $16.68 and a 1 year high of $26.20.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 18.50%. Analysts anticipate that ZTO Express will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a yield of 318.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 8th. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s dividend payout ratio is 48.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 7,999,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $153,589,000 after buying an additional 376,179 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,459,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $114,045,000 after buying an additional 69,529 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC raised its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 1,697,019 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,451,000 after buying an additional 257,021 shares during the period. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC acquired a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,672,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 1,077,250 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $22,504,000 after buying an additional 181,600 shares during the period. 41.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Company Profile

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc is one of China’s leading express delivery companies, specializing in both domestic and cross-border parcel logistics. The company operates a technology-enabled network that connects shippers, independent pickup and delivery stations, regional sorting hubs and end customers. ZTO’s service portfolio includes standard express, heavy-weight parcel delivery, time-definite shipments and e-commerce logistics solutions tailored for online retailers and marketplaces.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Shanghai, ZTO has grown rapidly by leveraging a franchise-style operating model that engages a broad network of independent contractors.