Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,672,522 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 20,051 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.28% of ZTO Express (Cayman) worth $32,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTO. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,061 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,758 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 11,518 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 4th quarter worth $232,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 14,069 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ZTO. Hsbc Global Res raised ZTO Express (Cayman) from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut ZTO Express (Cayman) from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. HSBC raised shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $22.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.28.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTO traded down $0.22 during trading on Friday, hitting $18.74. 1,470,149 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,819,317. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $19.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.63. The company has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of -0.14. ZTO Express has a 52-week low of $16.34 and a 52-week high of $27.50.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 18th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.02). ZTO Express (Cayman) had a net margin of 20.56% and a return on equity of 15.44%. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.73 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ZTO Express will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 4.7%. ZTO Express (Cayman)'s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.95%.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Company 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.