ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $22.42 and last traded at $22.3530, with a volume of 583412 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on ZTO. Zacks Research lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ZTO Express (Cayman) has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.36.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $20.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.67. The company has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of -0.21.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($2.08). ZTO Express (Cayman) had a net margin of 18.61% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ZTO Express will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ZTO. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC bought a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the third quarter valued at $25,672,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the second quarter worth about $12,604,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2,573.3% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 612,738 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,765,000 after purchasing an additional 589,817 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,446,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $153,589,000 after buying an additional 376,179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.65% of the company’s stock.

About ZTO Express (Cayman)

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.