ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) Raised to Strong-Buy at Macquarie Capit

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) was upgraded by research analysts at Macquarie Capit from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Sunday,Zacks.com reports.

ZTO has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.36.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE ZTO traded up $0.40 on Friday, reaching $24.53. The company had a trading volume of 988,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,166,149. ZTO Express has a 52-week low of $16.34 and a 52-week high of $24.57. The company’s fifty day moving average is $21.74 and its 200 day moving average is $20.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of -0.18.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (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%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.90 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ZTO Express (Cayman)

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,693 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 15,943 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 0.5% during the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 137,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,645,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 42.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the period. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 5.1% during the third quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 14,764 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.