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High SG&A Expenses & Low Gross Margin Hurt ZTO Express (ZTO)

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We have recently updated a report on ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (ZTO - Free Report) .

High SG&A expenses might increase operating expenses and hurt bottom-line results of ZTO Express. Apart from other factors, increases in salaries and accrued bonuses are leading to higher SG&A expenses. Evidently, SG&A expenses increased 10.7% year over year in first-quarter 2021.  Costs are likely to be high throughout 2021 due to high SG&A expenses.

We are concerned about the 16.9% decline in gross margin rate in the first quarter of 2021 from 20.9% in the year-ago period. The reduction was primarily due to 12.4% decline in average selling prices as a result of intense competition.

Additionally, domestic express delivery market in China's e-commerce segment is highly competitive due to the presence of big players like SF Express and STO Express. The company’s stock price may take a further beating if competition intensifies and becomes a hindrance.

Meanwhile, strong performance of the core express delivery services unit is encouraging. Notably, revenues from the unit increased 65.2% year over year in the first quarter, owing to 88.5% surge in parcel volumes.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

ZTO Express currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Transportation sector include Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR - Free Report) , Triton International Limited and Herc Holdings Inc. (HRI - Free Report) . Herc Holdings and Landstar sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Triton carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Long-term (three to five years) expected earnings per share growth rate for Landstar, Triton and Herc Holdings is projected at 12%, 10% and 42.9%, respectively.

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Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR) - free report >>

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ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (ZTO) - free report >>

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