ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. $ZTO Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,606,574 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 37,787 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) were worth $33,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 61.4% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 1,713.0% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,375 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,244 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,693 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 156.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,127 shares in the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE ZTO opened at $22.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of -0.18. ZTO Express has a 12-month low of $16.94 and a 12-month high of $26.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.95.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a return on equity of 14.23% and a net margin of 17.87%. Equities research analysts expect that ZTO Express will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 318.0%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Macquarie Infrastructure upgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $30.10 price target on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ZTO Express (Cayman) presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.03.

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.