581,300 Shares in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) Acquired by WFM ASIA BVI Ltd

WFM ASIA BVI Ltd purchased a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 581,300 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,364,000. ZTO Express (Cayman) comprises 1.2% of WFM ASIA BVI Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. WFM ASIA BVI Ltd owned about 0.10% of ZTO Express (Cayman) at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ZTO. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the third quarter worth $46,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 119.8% during the 4th 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 grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 10,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE:ZTO opened at $18.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of -0.03. ZTO Express has a 52 week low of $17.81 and a 52 week high of $27.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.73 and a 200-day moving average of $20.81.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 18th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.73 billion. As a group, analysts predict that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 4.7%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTO has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. HSBC lowered ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $28.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com upgraded ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ZTO Express (Cayman) has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.78.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Profile

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.