Woodline Partners LP Takes Position in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. $ZTO

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP has acquired a new stake in ZTO Express, purchasing 340,960 shares valued at approximately $6.8 million, representing about 0.06% of the company.
• Several institutional investors, including Todd Asset Management LLC and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, have significantly increased their positions in ZTO Express during the first quarter.
• Research firms have mixed ratings on ZTO Express, with Bank of America raising its price objective from $19.00 to $22.00, while maintaining a "neutral" rating.

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 340,960 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $6,765,000. Woodline Partners LP owned about 0.06% of ZTO Express (Cayman) as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Todd Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 1,354,716 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $26,878,000 after acquiring an additional 9,133 shares during the last quarter. XY Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 162.4% in the first quarter. XY Capital Ltd now owns 1,041,263 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $20,659,000 after buying an additional 644,390 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the first quarter worth approximately $13,950,000. Hhlr Advisors LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 54.0% in the first quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 671,387 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $13,320,000 after buying an additional 235,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 31.1% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 577,800 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,464,000 after buying an additional 137,202 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ZTO. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $23.00 to $21.00 in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $24.20 price objective on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from $26.40 to $22.60 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ZTO Express (Cayman) presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $22.36.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE ZTO opened at $19.09 on Friday. ZTO Express has a 12 month low of $16.34 and a 12 month high of $27.50. The stock has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a PEG ratio of 7.87 and a beta of -0.15. The company's 50 day moving average is $19.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.80.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a yield of 330.0%. ZTO Express (Cayman)'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.95%.

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.

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