ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) Short Interest Up 19.4% in February

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 20,706,340 shares, an increase of 19.4% from the February 12th total of 17,340,651 shares. Approximately 6.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,382,681 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,382,681 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.7 days. Approximately 6.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of ZTO Express (Cayman)

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 249,469 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,211,000 after buying an additional 120,835 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 197,679 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,130,000 after acquiring an additional 48,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 55,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research cut shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Macquarie Infrastructure raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.36.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

Shares of ZTO traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $23.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,732,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,905,176. ZTO Express has a 12-month low of $16.34 and a 12-month high of $25.52. The firm has a market cap of $13.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of -0.20. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.95.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The transportation company reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $2.87. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 18.61%.The business’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ZTO Express will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.