Short Interest in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) Drops By 21.4%

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 15,370,914 shares, a decrease of 21.4% from the March 15th total of 19,552,150 shares. Approximately 4.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,217,618 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the third quarter worth $25,672,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 589,817 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 7,999,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $153,589,000 after buying an additional 376,179 shares during the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $35,451,000 after acquiring an additional 257,021 shares during the period. Finally, OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd acquired a new position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 4th quarter valued at $4,005,000. 41.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:ZTO traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $25.28. The stock had a trading volume of 2,553,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,011,874. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.42 and a 200 day moving average of $21.81. The company has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of -0.17. ZTO Express has a one year low of $16.68 and a one year high of $26.20.

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

ZTO Express (Cayman) Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 318.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 8th. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s payout ratio is presently 48.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTO. Macquarie Infrastructure upgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Wall Street Zen raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on ZTO Express (Cayman) from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.45.

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.