ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $23.06 and last traded at $23.0550, with a volume of 329068 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ZTO. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ZTO Express (Cayman) presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.36.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of -0.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.02.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.90 earnings per share. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC bought a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the third quarter valued at $25,672,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,604,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2,573.3% during 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 during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the second quarter worth approximately $7,446,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 4.9% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 7,999,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $153,589,000 after purchasing an additional 376,179 shares in the last quarter. 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.