ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.36.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTO opened at $21.35 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.47. ZTO Express has a fifty-two week low of $16.34 and a fifty-two week high of $22.08. The firm has a market cap of $12.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of -0.21.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the company earned $2.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that ZTO Express will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,672,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the second quarter worth approximately $12,604,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $11,765,000 after purchasing an additional 589,817 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $7,446,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 4.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 376,179 shares during the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.