ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $25.04 and last traded at $24.9950, with a volume of 589380 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $14.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of -0.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.30.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its 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%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.90 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ZTO Express (Cayman)

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 22.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 175,128 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,475,000 after purchasing an additional 32,663 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the first quarter valued at approximately $421,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 96.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 21,223 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the second quarter worth approximately $289,000. Finally, Aurora Investment Counsel raised its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 141,455 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,511,000 after purchasing an additional 3,245 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.65% of the company’s stock.

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.