Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO)

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 19,202 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,423% compared to the typical volume of 761 call options.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE ZTO opened at $24.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $13.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of -0.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.16 and a 200-day moving average of $21.61. ZTO Express has a 1-year low of $16.68 and a 1-year high of $26.20.

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

ZTO Express (Cayman) Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 318.0%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Macquarie Infrastructure raised shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.36.

Institutional Trading of ZTO Express (Cayman)

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZTO. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC acquired a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 3rd quarter worth $25,672,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2,573.3% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 612,738 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,765,000 after acquiring an additional 589,817 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) during the 2nd quarter worth $7,446,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 7,999,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $153,589,000 after acquiring an additional 376,179 shares during the period. Finally, Todd Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 1,697,019 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,451,000 after acquiring an additional 257,021 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.65% of the company’s stock.

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.