ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Shares Down 3.7% – Should You Sell?

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO)’s stock price traded down 3.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $24.17 and last traded at $24.34. 672,068 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 2,148,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

ZTO Express (Cayman) Trading Down 3.9%

The company has a market capitalization of $14.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of -0.20. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $23.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.20.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a net margin of 18.50% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The business’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 305.0%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s payout ratio is 36.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.