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>Non-Core items boosted Q3 earnings, but core margins plunged vs Q2</li>
<li>In a surprise move, ZTO has abandoned its aggressive pursuit of share</li>
<li>Medium term growth is likely to slow, and pressure on margins remains</li>
</ul>


Non-Core items boosted Q3 earnings, but core margins plunged vs Q2
In a surprise move, ZTO has abandoned its aggressive pursuit of share
Medium term growth is likely to slow, and pressure on margins remains


ZTO Express Q3: Margins Plunge Vs Q2 | Abandons Pursuit of Share Gains | Is There a New Strategy?

<ul>
<li>Given declining prices and slowing volume growth, we anticipated lower Q3 express margins</li>
<li>The four China-listed express firms saw Op Inc margin fall from 5.3% in Q2 to 3.9% in Q3</li>
<li>SF fared better than 'sort &amp; transport' names, but its freight forwarding segment still a drag</li>
</ul>


Given declining prices and slowing volume growth, we anticipated lower Q3 express margins
The four China-listed express firms saw Op Inc margin fall from 5.3% in Q2 to 3.9% in Q3
SF fared better than 'sort &amp; transport' names, but its freight forwarding segment still a drag


The Four Listed Chinese Express Companies Suffered Significant Margin Erosion in Q323

<ul>
<li>In this month's Tracker, we focus on a new price war among the 'sort &amp; transport' names</li>
<li>Q3 ASPs at these express companies fell by -12% Y/Y, and volume growth softened</li>
<li>We believe margins are under increasing pressure in China's mainstream express segment</li>
</ul>


In this month's Tracker, we focus on a new price war among the 'sort &amp; transport' names
Q3 ASPs at these express companies fell by -12% Y/Y, and volume growth softened
We believe margins are under increasing pressure in China's mainstream express segment


Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | A New Price War Among China's 'Sort & Transport' Express Names

<ul>
<li>Solid Q2 results from ZTO, with deep unit cost reductions offseting weak pricing</li>
<li>But ultimately, Q2/H1 results are merely in-line with guidance -- not better, nor worse</li>
<li>In this environment, it's difficult to see what will move ZTO out of recent trading range</li>
</ul>


Solid Q2 results from ZTO, with deep unit cost reductions offseting weak pricing
But ultimately, Q2/H1 results are merely in-line with guidance -- not better, nor worse
In this environment, it's difficult to see what will move ZTO out of recent trading range


ZTO Express Q2 Results: Strong on Volume | Weak on Price | Margins Up in Q2, But H2 Much Tougher

<ul>
<li>In June, mainstream parcel pricing declined by over 10% Y/Y, but SF Holding saw ASPs rise</li>
<li>We believe J&amp;T Global Express' planned IPO could negatively impact the industry in H2</li>
<li>Pricing pressure has increased, in our view, and we expect margins to decline in H2 23</li>
</ul>


In June, mainstream parcel pricing declined by over 10% Y/Y, but SF Holding saw ASPs rise
We believe J&amp;T Global Express' planned IPO could negatively impact the industry in H2
Pricing pressure has increased, in our view, and we expect margins to decline in H2 23


Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Mainstream ASPs Down 10% in June | J&T IPO Impact? | (July 2023)

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)

The Four Listed Chinese Express Companies Suffered Significant Margin Erosion in Q323

A new price war among China's 'sort and transport' express companies drove down the group's core margins in Q3, and we expect the pain to continue...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | A New Price War Among China's 'Sort & Transport' Express Names

In this insight we discuss a developing price war among China's 'sort and transport' express names, which likely added to margin pressures on these...

Tracking Traffic

ZTO Express Q2 Results: Strong on Volume | Weak on Price | Margins Up in Q2, But H2 Much Tougher

ZTO gained volume share in Q2, which allowed it to beat down unit costs and expand margins. Given recent price erosion, we think ZTO is unlikely to...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Mainstream ASPs Down 10% in June | J&T IPO Impact? | (July 2023)

Monthly figures from the China-listed express companies show that parcel pricing continued to decline in June, with slowing e-commerce sales and...

Tracking Traffic

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

ZTO Express Q3: Margins Plunge Vs Q2 | Abandons Pursuit of Share Gains | Is There a New Strategy?

ZTO has long employed a strategy of market share gains it uses to offset declining unit prices. Under current depressed market conditions, it has...

Tracking Traffic

The Four Listed Chinese Express Companies Suffered Significant Margin Erosion in Q323

A new price war among China's 'sort and transport' express companies drove down the group's core margins in Q3, and we expect the pain to continue...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | A New Price War Among China's 'Sort & Transport' Express Names

In this insight we discuss a developing price war among China's 'sort and transport' express names, which likely added to margin pressures on these...

Tracking Traffic

ZTO Express Q2 Results: Strong on Volume | Weak on Price | Margins Up in Q2, But H2 Much Tougher

ZTO gained volume share in Q2, which allowed it to beat down unit costs and expand margins. Given recent price erosion, we think ZTO is unlikely to...

Tracking Traffic

Monthly Chinese Express Tracker | Mainstream ASPs Down 10% in June | J&T IPO Impact? | (July 2023)

Monthly figures from the China-listed express companies show that parcel pricing continued to decline in June, with slowing e-commerce sales and...

Tracking Traffic