HSBC Upgrades ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) to “Buy”

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) was upgraded by HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $22.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.11% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $23.00 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Hsbc Global Res cut ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.28.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

ZTO Express (Cayman) stock opened at $18.79 on Monday. ZTO Express has a 52 week low of $16.34 and a 52 week high of $27.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of -0.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.55 and a 200-day moving average of $20.51.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 18th. The transportation company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.02). ZTO Express (Cayman) had a return on equity of 15.44% and a net margin of 20.56%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.73 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that ZTO Express will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ZTO Express (Cayman)

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 106.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,288 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 10,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich raised its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 11,518 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325 shares in the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About ZTO Express (Cayman)

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc provides express delivery and other value-added logistics services in the People's Republic of China. It offers freight forwarding services; and delivery services for e-commerce and traditional merchants, and other express service users. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China.