ZTO Express (Cayman) Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:ZTO)

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 10,718 call options on the company. This is an increase of 555% compared to the average volume of 1,636 call options.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Performance

ZTO Express (Cayman) stock traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,482,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,593,634. The company has a market capitalization of $15.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of -0.10. ZTO Express has a 12-month low of $15.90 and a 12-month high of $27.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $21.75 and its 200-day moving average is $21.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (NYSE:ZTO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The transportation company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter. ZTO Express (Cayman) had a net margin of 21.22% and a return on equity of 15.51%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts predict that ZTO Express will post 1.69 EPS for the current year.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.6%. ZTO Express (Cayman)’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.89%.

Institutional Trading of ZTO Express (Cayman)

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZTO. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in ZTO Express (Cayman) in the 4th quarter valued at $341,000. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 50.2% during the 1st quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 40,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 13,600 shares during the last quarter. XY Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) during the first quarter worth $4,183,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 72.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 164,608 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,534,000 after buying an additional 69,039 shares during the last quarter. 41.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ZTO shares. Macquarie lowered shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $21.20 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from $25.20 to $26.90 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.03.

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.