Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO)

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 19,202 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,423% compared to the average daily volume of 761 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Macquarie Infrastructure raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, ZTO Express (Cayman) presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZTO. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,672,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2,573.3% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 612,738 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,765,000 after acquiring an additional 589,817 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 2nd quarter worth about $7,446,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $153,589,000 after acquiring an additional 376,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Todd Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 1,697,019 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,451,000 after acquiring an additional 257,021 shares during the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Price Performance

Shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) stock opened at $24.84 on Wednesday. ZTO Express has a 1 year low of $16.34 and a 1 year high of $26.20. The firm has a market cap of $14.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of -0.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.59.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 18.50%.The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 314.0%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.10%.

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.