Asian Equities Analyst, Logistics & Transport, Tracking Traffic

Daniel Hellberg

Asian Equities Analyst, Logistics & Transport

Tracking Traffic

Focusing on Asian logistics, transportation, and travel companies

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Going into FY24, ZTO aimed to focus on price,  cede volume share in support of margins</li>
<li>It hasn't worked: in Q324, adj EBITDA margin fell -290 bps Y/Y despite higher ASPs</li>
<li>Q324 results reveal weak earnngs growth, &amp; reduced FY24 volume target; AVOID</li>
</ul>


Going into FY24, ZTO aimed to focus on price,  cede volume share in support of margins
It hasn't worked: in Q324, adj EBITDA margin fell -290 bps Y/Y despite higher ASPs
Q324 results reveal weak earnngs growth, &amp; reduced FY24 volume target; AVOID


ZTO Express Q324 Results: Shift in Strategy Leads to Lower Core Margins & FY24 Guidance Cut | AVOID

China New Economy Equity Analyst, Blue Lotus Research Institute

Robert McKay

China New Economy Equity Analyst

China growth and global non-US Internet equities

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Blue Lotus Research is a Hong Kong Type 4 Licensed investment advisory firm focusing on Chinese growth equities and global non-US Internet equities

<ul>
<li>Amid fierce low-price competition in 1H24, low-end couriers  benefited from merchant demand for cheap logistics. However, new platform policies suggest greater emphasis on quality logistics and O2O in 2H24;</li>
<li>The shift towards higher-end logistics is manifesting through O2O. Spearheaded by Meituan, O2O is an experiment to copy Coupang's business model in China. We believe there is a sizable market;</li>
<li>We see ZTO as best positioned amid the changing environment, JDL least impacted, with J&amp;T and SFE in the least favorable positions.</li>
</ul>


Amid fierce low-price competition in 1H24, low-end couriers  benefited from merchant demand for cheap logistics. However, new platform policies suggest greater emphasis on quality logistics and O2O in 2H24;
The shift towards higher-end logistics is manifesting through O2O. Spearheaded by Meituan, O2O is an experiment to copy Coupang's business model in China. We believe there is a sizable market;
We see ZTO as best positioned amid the changing environment, JDL least impacted, with J&amp;T and SFE in the least favorable positions.


Logistics Shift to Quality Amid Evolved Ecommerce Plans

<ul>
<li>Headline numbers for ZTO in Q224 were +10% Revenue, +12% EBITDA</li>
<li>But gross margin in core express segment fell, as did Operating Cash Flow</li>
<li>ZTO left guidance unchanged for FY24; we recommend investors AVOID it</li>
</ul>


Headline numbers for ZTO in Q224 were +10% Revenue, +12% EBITDA
But gross margin in core express segment fell, as did Operating Cash Flow
ZTO left guidance unchanged for FY24; we recommend investors AVOID it


ZTO Express Q224 Results: Slow Top-Line Growth | Margin Compression in Core Express Business | AVOID

<ul>
<li>Industry and company reports show ASP declines gained momentum in April</li>
<li>April volume jumped 36% Y/Y on a weak comp from 2022 (Covid-19 lockdowns)</li>
<li>Our thesis: pricing is getting weaker, and this trend will soon impact margins</li>
</ul>


Industry and company reports show ASP declines gained momentum in April
April volume jumped 36% Y/Y on a weak comp from 2022 (Covid-19 lockdowns)
Our thesis: pricing is getting weaker, and this trend will soon impact margins


Monthly Express Tracker | Prices Continue to Slide | Volume Pops | (May 2023)

<ul>
<li>Parcel volume growth remained strong in June, but ASPs weakened (again)</li>
<li>YTO Express seems to be managing price / volume tradeoff competently</li>
<li>Year-To-Date, only YTO shares up &gt; 10%; three companies down -10% or more </li>
</ul>


Parcel volume growth remained strong in June, but ASPs weakened (again)
YTO Express seems to be managing price / volume tradeoff competently
Year-To-Date, only YTO shares up &gt; 10%; three companies down -10% or more 


Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Strong June Volume | Weak Pricing and Intl | (July 2024)

China

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. operates as an express delivery company. The Company provides express delivery service through their nationwide network, as well as other value-added logistics services. ZTO Express serves customers globally.

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ZTO Express Cayman (ZTO US)

ZTO Express Q324 Results: Shift in Strategy Leads to Lower Core Margins & FY24 Guidance Cut | AVOID

ZTO's focus on price over volume share gains simply hasn't worked so far in 2024. Until management developts a path towards a return to profitable...

Tracking Traffic

Logistics Shift to Quality Amid Evolved Ecommerce Plans

In 2H24, low-end couriers face shift towards quality logistics and O2O, with ZTO and Meituan best positioned and SFE most negatively affected

Blue Lotus Research Institute

ZTO Express Q224 Results: Slow Top-Line Growth | Margin Compression in Core Express Business | AVOID

ZTO's headline Q224 numbers look OK, but they don't paint an accurate picture of what's happening in the core express segment. We suggest investors...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Express Tracker | Prices Continue to Slide | Volume Pops | (May 2023)

In April, express volume shot up 36% against easy Y/Y comps, but ASPs deepened their recent decline. We believe pricing will continue to...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Strong June Volume | Weak Pricing and Intl | (July 2024)

In June, China's express delivery sector again reported strong volume growth, but weak unit pricing. Share performance reflects this dynamic, with...

Tracking Traffic

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52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

ZTO Express Q324 Results: Shift in Strategy Leads to Lower Core Margins & FY24 Guidance Cut | AVOID

ZTO's focus on price over volume share gains simply hasn't worked so far in 2024. Until management developts a path towards a return to profitable...

Tracking Traffic

Logistics Shift to Quality Amid Evolved Ecommerce Plans

​In 2H24, low-end couriers face shift towards quality logistics and O2O, with ZTO and Meituan best positioned and SFE most negatively affected

Blue Lotus Research Institute

ZTO Express Q224 Results: Slow Top-Line Growth | Margin Compression in Core Express Business | AVOID

ZTO's headline Q224 numbers look OK, but they don't paint an accurate picture of what's happening in the core express segment. We suggest investors...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Express Tracker | Prices Continue to Slide | Volume Pops | (May 2023)

In April, express volume shot up 36% against easy Y/Y comps, but ASPs deepened their recent decline. We believe pricing will continue to...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Strong June Volume | Weak Pricing and Intl | (July 2024)

In June, China's express delivery sector again reported strong volume growth, but weak unit pricing. Share performance reflects this dynamic, with...

Tracking Traffic

In 2H24, low-end couriers face shift towards quality logistics and O2O, with ZTO and Meituan best positioned and SFE most negatively affected