ZTO ZTO Express Cayman Inc

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 6-K

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of May 2024

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-37922

 

 

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

 

Building One, No. 1685 Huazhi Road

Qingpu District

Shanghai, 201708

People's Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit 99.1 – ZTO Reports First Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

 

	By	:	/s/ Huiping Yan
	Name	:	Huiping Yan
	Title	:	Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: May 16, 2024

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1 

 

ZTO Reports First Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results

 

Emphasizing Profitable Growth amidst Consumption Mix-shift
Adjusted Net Income Grew 15.8% to RMB2.2 Billion
Parcel Volume Increased 13.9% to 7.2 Billion

 

SHANGHAI, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057), a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China ("ZTO" or the "Company"), today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024^[1]. The Company grew parcel volume by 13.9% year over year while maintaining high quality of service and customer satisfaction. Adjusted net income^[2] increased 15.8% to reach RMB2.2 billion. Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB2.0 billion.

 

First Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights

 

·

Revenues were RMB9,960.0 million (US$1,379.4 million), an increase of 10.9% from RMB8,983.2 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Gross profit was RMB3,002.1million (US$415.8million), an increase of 19.0% from RMB2,523.4 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Net income was RMB1,447.7 million (US$200.5 million), a decrease of 13.0% from RMB1,664.8 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Adjusted EBITDA[3] was RMB3,660.4 million (US$507.0 million), an increase of 16.8% from RMB3,133.0 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Adjusted net income was RMB2,224.0 million (US$308.0 million), an increase of 15.8% from RMB1,919.8 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Basic and diluted net earnings per American depositary share ("ADS"[4]) were RMB1.77 (US$0.25) and RMB1.75 (US$0.24), a decrease of 14.5% and 13.8% from RMB2.07 and RMB2.03 in the same period of 2023, respectively.

·

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders[5] were RMB2.74 (US$0.38) and RMB2.68 (US$0.37), an increase of 15.1% and 15.0% from RMB2.38 and RMB2.33 in the same period of 2023, respectively.

·

Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB2,031.0 million (US$281.3 million), compared with RMB2,738.0 million in the same period of 2023.

 

 

Operational Highlights for First Quarter 2024

 

·

Parcel volume was 7,171 million, an increase of 13.9% from 6,297 million in the same period of 2023.

·

Number of pickup/delivery outlets was over 31,000 as of March 31, 2024.

·

Number of direct network partners was over 6,000 as of March 31, 2024.

·

Number of self-owned line-haul vehicles was approximately 10,000 as of March 31, 2024.

·

Out of the approximately 10,000 self-owned trucks, approximately 9,100 were high capacity 15 to 17-meter-long models as of March 31, 2024, compared to approximately 9,500 as of March 31, 2023.

·

Number of line-haul routes between sorting hubs was approximately 3,800 as of March 31, 2024, which is similar to the same period last year

·

Number of sorting hubs was 96 as of March 31, 2024, among which 88 are operated by the Company and 8 by the Company's network partners.

 

(1)   An investor relations presentation accompanies this earnings release and can be found at http://zto.investorroom.com.

 

(2)   Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income before share-based compensation expense and non-recurring items such as gain or loss on disposal of equity investments and subsidiaries and corresponding tax impact which management aims to better represent the underlying business operations.

 

(3)   Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income before depreciation, amortization, interest expenses and income tax expenses, and further adjusted to exclude the shared-based compensation expense and non-recurring items such as the gain on disposal of equity investments and subsidiaries which management aims to better represent the underlying business operations.

 

(4)   One ADS represents one Class A ordinary share.

 

(5)   Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders is a non-GAAP financial measure. It is defined as adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of basic and diluted American depositary shares, respectively.

 

 

Mr. Meisong Lai, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZTO, commented, "For the first quarter, parcel volume of the express delivery industry increased 25.2% year over year, far exceeded expectations. The boom of live video streaming and social network retailing has helped stimulating consumption and fueled the increase in express delivery volume; On the other hand, however, it has also contributed to an increase in the proportion of low-priced parcels. Meanwhile, price competition intensified further particularly in major output regions. A greater portion of industry parcel volume became less profitable or loss making.  ZTO adhered to the principle of profitable growth and kept  loss-making parcels out of our network. While our volume market share declined over last year, our profit share among industry peers further increased demonstrating the effectiveness of our strategy."

 

Mr. Lai added, "Our consistent strategy is to achieve balanced development in service quality, volume scale and earnings. At the beginning of 2024, we shifted our strategic focus to quality of services. While maintaining a scale-leveraged volume and healthy earnings level, we put greater effort towards the development of differentiated product and services to meet the diverse and personalized needs of customers aimed to enhance ZTO's brand awareness and value recognition. The transformation of Chinese express delivery from high quantity to a combination of quantity plus quality is inevitable. We have prioritized quality of product and services, with the intention of breaking away from homogeneous competition, enhancing product mix, improving profitability of our network partners and couriers, and creating strong moat for ZTO's long term viability and value preposition."

 

Ms. Huiping Yan, Chief Financial Officer of ZTO, commented, "Our core express ASP decreased 2.5% or 4 cents, which was well below industry level. Combined unit sorting and transportation cost decreased 6 cents as our standardization and digitization initiatives continued to generate positive results despite softer volume. SG&A cost structure remained stable and efficient. Our adjusted net income for the quarter increased 15.8% to 2.2 billion. Cash flow from operating activities was 2.0 billion, and capital spending outlay was 1.7 billion for the quarter."

 

Ms. Yan added, "We believe that the Chinese economic conditions will improve over time and express delivery industry's long term growth prospect is intact. Our focus on development of differentiated product and service will ensure our enterprise value creation and longevity. We anticipate that the industry growth for the year to be between 15-20%, and we are prepared to allow a necessary level of retreat in market share while avoiding meaningless losses. The Company maintains its previous volume growth guidance for the year to be in the range of 15%-18%, or 34.73billion to 35.64 billion parcels."

 

 

First Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023								2024
		RMB				%				RMB				US$				%
		(in thousands, except percentages)
Express delivery services			8,388,743				93.4				9,240,172				1,279,749				92.8
Freight forwarding services			192,725				2.1				202,747				28,080				2.0
Sale of accessories			368,838				4.1				485,062				67,180				4.9
Others			32,933				0.4				32,025				4,436				0.3
Total revenues			8,983,239				100.0				9,960,006				1,379,445				100.0

 

Total Revenues were RMB9,960.0 million (US$1,379.4 million), an increase of 10.9% from RMB8,983.2 million in the same period of 2023. Revenue from the core express delivery business increased by 11.0% compared to the same period of 2023, as a net result of a 13.9% increase in parcel volume and a 2.5% decrease in parcel unit price. KA revenue including delivery fees from direct sales organizations, established to serve core express KA customers, decreased by 7.1% as a result of mix shift towards higher-value customers. Revenue from freight forwarding services increased by 5.2% compared to the same period of 2023. Revenue from sales of accessories, largely consisted of sales of thermal paper used for digital waybills' printing, increased by 31.5%. Other revenues were mainly derived from financing services.

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023								2024
						% of												% of
		RMB				revenues				RMB				US$				revenues
		(in thousands, except percentages)
Line-haul transportation cost			3,181,820				35.4				3,371,493				466,946				33.9
Sorting hub operating cost			2,013,371				22.4				2,168,201				300,292				21.8
Freight forwarding cost			182,972				2.0				188,382				26,091				1.9
Cost of accessories sold			107,428				1.2				133,047				18,427				1.3
Other costs			974,240				10.9				1,096,798				151,905				11.0
Total cost of revenues			6,459,831				71.9				6,957,921				963,661				69.9

 

 

Total cost of revenues was RMB6,957.9 million (US$963.7 million), an increase of 7.7% from RMB6,459.8 million in the same period last year.

 

Line haul transportation cost was RMB3,371.5 million (US$466.9 million), an increase of 6.0% from RMB3,181.8 million in the same period last year. The unit transportation cost decreased 7.0% or 4 cents mainly attributable to better economies of scale, optimized line-haul route planning and improved load rate.

 

Sorting hub operating cost was RMB2,168.2 million (US$300.3 million), an increase of 7.7% from RMB2,013.4 million in the same period of last year. The increase primarily consisted of (i) RMB81.1 million (US$11.2 million) increase in depreciation and amortization costs associated with automation equipment and other facilities, and (ii) RMB68.7million (US$9.5 million) increase in labor-associated costs, a net result of wage increases partially offset by automation-driven efficiency improvements. With standardization in operating procedures, effective performance evaluation system, the unit sorting cost decreased by 5.4% or 2 cents. As of March 31, 2024, there were 461 sets of automated sorting equipment in service, compared to 454 sets as of March 31, 2023, which enhanced overall sorting efficiencies.

 

Cost of accessories sold was RMB133.0 million (US$18.4 million), increased by 23.8% compared with RMB107.4 million in the same period last year. 

 

Other costs were RMB1,096.8 million (US$151.9 million), an increase of 12.6% from RMB974.2 million in the same period last year. The increase was mainly driven by RMB124.3 million (US$17.2 million) increase in costs associated with serving higher-value enterprise customers, level of which is consistent with related revenue increases.

 

 

Gross Profit was RMB3,002.1 million (US$415.8 million), increased by 19.0% from RMB2,523.4 million in the same period last year as a combined result of revenue growth and cost productivity gain. Gross margin rate improved to 30.1% from 28.1% in the same period last year.

 

Total Operating Expenses were RMB735.4 million (US$101.8 million), compared to RMB573.0 million in the same period last year.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB896.6 million (US$124.2 million), increased by 14.0% from RMB786.6 million in the same period last year. The increase primarily consisted of (i) RMB40.4 million (US$5.6 million) increase in compensation and benefit expenses, and (ii) RMB37.3 million (US$5.2 million) provisional loss related to a collection against certain supplier.

 

Other operating income was RMB161.3 million (US$22.3 million), compared to RMB213.6 million in the same period last year. Other operating income mainly consisted of (i) RMB118.9 million (US$16.5 million) of government subsidies and tax rebates, and (ii) RMB40.2 million (US$5.6 million) of rental and other income.

 

Income from operations was RMB2,266.7 million (US$313.9 million), an increase of 16.2% from RMB1,950.4 million for the same period last year. Operating margin rate increased to 22.8% from 21.7% in the same period last year.

 

Interest income was RMB245.0 million (US$33.9million), compared with RMB91.9 million in the same period last year.

 

Interest expenses was RMB83.9 million (US$11.6 million), compared with RMB71.7 million in the same period last year.

 

Gain from fair value changes of financial instruments was RMB42.7 million (US$5.9 million), compared with RMB155.6 million in the same period last year. Such gain or loss from fair value changes of the financial instruments are quoted by commercial banks according to market-based estimation of future redemption prices.

 

 

Impairment of investment in equity investee was RMB478.4million (US$66.3 million). In the first quarter of 2024, Alibaba Group Holding Limited ("Alibaba") initiated a tender offer to purchase all the outstanding shares of Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited ("Cainiao"). The offer price to all shares held by the Company was below the carrying amount, hence a RMB478.4million (US$66.3 million) impairment of investment was reported for this accounting period.

 

Income tax expenses were RMB566.3 million (US$78.4 million) compared to RMB455.0 million in the same period last year. Overall income tax rate increased by 6.8 percentage points year over year, mainly due to (i) RMB44.0 million accrual of withholding tax on distributable earnings planned for dividend payment to ZTO Express (Hong Kong) Limited attributable for the first quarter, and (ii) RMB478.4million (US$66.3 million) impairment losses on investment in Cainiao upon a tender offer. 

 

Net income was RMB1,447.7 million (US$200.5 million), which decreased by 13.0% from RMB1,664.8 million in the same period last year.

 

Basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders were RMB1.77 (US$0.25) and RMB1.75 (US$0.24), compared with basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB2.07 and RMB2.03 in the same period last year, respectively.

 

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders were RMB2.74 (US$0.38) and RMB2.68 (US$0.37), compared with RMB2.38 and RMB2.33 in the same period last year, respectively.

 

Adjusted net income was RMB2,224.0 million (US$308.0 million), compared with RMB1,919.8 million during the same period last year.

 

EBITDA^[1] was RMB2,884.1 million (US$399.4 million), compared with RMB2,878.0 million in the same period last year.

 

Adjusted EBITDA was RMB3,660.4 million (US$507.0 million), compared to RMB3,133.0 million in the same period last year.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB2,031.0 million (US$281.3 million), compared with RMB2,738.0 million in the same period last year.

 

(1)   EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income before depreciation, amortization, interest expenses and income tax expenses which management aims to better represent the underlying business operations.

 

 

Business Outlook

 

Based on current market conditions and current operations, the Company reiterates that its parcel volume for 2024 is expected to be in the range of 34.73 billion to 35.64 billion, representing a 15% to 18% increase year over year. Such estimates represent management's current and preliminary view, which are subject to change.

 

Sale of Equity Investment In Cainiao

 

On March 28, 2024, the Company received an offer from Alibaba to purchase all the outstanding shares of Cainiao held by the Company for US$0.62 per share, with an aggregate consideration of approximately US$94.3 million. The cost of the investment is US$54.0 million. The Company has accepted the offer and expects to enter into a share purchase agreement with Alibaba. Upon the completion of the transaction, the Company will cease to hold any equity interest in Cainiao.

 

Appointment of President

 

Mr. Jingxi Zhu, vice president of information technology of the Company, has been appointed as the president of the Company to be primarily responsible for the overall operational executions. Mr. Zhu will continue to oversee technology and information matters of the Company.

 

Mr. Zhu has been the head of information technology of the Company since July 2003 and has served as vice president of information technology since September 2016. Mr. Zhu received an EMBA from Renmin University of China in 2021.

 

Exchange Rate

 

This announcement contains translation of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at the exchange rate of RMB7.2203 to US$1, the noon buying rate on March 29, 2024 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Systems.

 

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

The Company uses EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders, and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating ZTO's operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

 

Reconciliations of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures to its U.S. GAAP financial measures are shown in tables at the end of this earnings release, which provide more details about the non-GAAP financial measures.

 

The Company believes that EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders help identify underlying trends in ZTO's business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the expenses and gains that the Company includes in income from operations and net income. The Company believes that EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by ZTO's management in its financial and operational decision-making.

 

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to net income or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of the Company's operating performance. Investors are encouraged to compare the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to ZTO's data. ZTO encourages investors and others to review the Company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

 

 

Conference Call Information

 

ZTO's management team will host an earnings conference call at 8:30 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 (8:30 AM Beijing Time on Thursday, May 16, 2024).

 

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

 

United States:	1-888-317-6003
Hong Kong:	800-963-976
Mainland China:	4001-206-115
Singapore:	800-120-5863
International:	1-412-317-6061
Passcode:	1526153

 

Please dial in 15 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

 

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until May 22, 2024:

 

United States:	1-877-344-7529
International:	1-412-317-0088
Passcode:	5307524

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://zto.investorroom.com.

 

About ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

 

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) ("ZTO" or the "Company") is a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China. ZTO provides express delivery service as well as other value-added logistics services through its extensive and reliable nationwide network coverage in China.

 

 

ZTO operates a highly scalable network partner model, which the Company believes is best suited to support the significant growth of e-commerce in China. The Company leverages its network partners to provide pickup and last-mile delivery services, while controlling the mission-critical line-haul transportation and sorting network within the express delivery service value chain.

 

For more information, please visit http://zto.investorroom.com.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and other similar expressions. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. ZTO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "HKEX"), in its interim and annual reports to shareholders, in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of the HKEX, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors, or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about ZTO's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: risks relating to the development of the e-commerce and express delivery industries in China; its significant reliance on certain third-party e-commerce platforms; risks associated with its network partners and their employees and personnel; intense competition which could adversely affect the Company's results of operations and market share; any service disruption of the Company's sorting hubs or the outlets operated by its network partners or its technology system; ZTO's ability to build its brand and withstand negative publicity, or other favorable government policies. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in ZTO's filings with the SEC and the HKEX. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and ZTO does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

 

 

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA  

 

Summary of Unaudited Consolidated Comprehensive Income Data:

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
Revenues			8,983,239				9,960,006				1,379,445
Cost of revenues			(6,459,831	)			(6,957,921	)			(963,661	)
Gross profit			2,523,408				3,002,085				415,784
Operating (expenses)/income:
Selling, general and administrative			(786,607	)			(896,641	)			(124,183	)
Other operating income, net			213,641				161,257				22,334
Total operating expenses			(572,966	)			(735,384	)			(101,849	)
Income from operations			1,950,442				2,266,701				313,935
Other income/(expenses):
Interest income			91,912				245,021				33,935
Interest expense			(71,710	)			(83,916	)			(11,622	)
Gain from fair value changes of financial instruments			155,573				42,720				5,917
Gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiaries and others			-				451				62
Impairment of investment in equity investee			-				(478,364	)			(66,253	)
Foreign currency exchange (loss)/gain before tax			(10,213	)			5,384				746
Income before income tax, and share of gain in equity method investments			2,116,004				1,997,997				276,720
Income tax expense			(455,007	)			(566,305	)			(78,432	)
Share of gain in equity method investments			3,824				16,055				2,224
Net income			1,664,821				1,447,747				200,512
Net loss/(income) attributable to non-controlling interests			5,515				(21,701	)			(3,006	)
Net income attributable to ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.			1,670,336				1,426,046				197,506
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders			1,670,336				1,426,046				197,506
Net earnings per share attributed to ordinary shareholders
Basic			2.07				1.77				0.25
Diluted			2.03				1.75				0.24
Weighted average shares used in calculating net earnings per ordinary share/ADS
Basic			808,865,862				804,935,791				804,935,791
Diluted			840,491,415				836,144,858				836,144,858
Net income			1,664,821				1,447,747				200,512
Other comprehensive income/(expenses), net of tax of nil:
Foreign currency translation adjustment			19,271				(82,330	)			(11,403	)
Comprehensive income			1,684,092				1,365,417				189,109
Comprehensive loss/(income) attributable to non-controlling interests			5,515				(21,701	)			(3,006	)
Comprehensive income attributable to ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.			1,689,607				1,343,716				186,103

 

 

Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:

 

		As of
		December 31,				March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands, except for share data)
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents			12,333,884				12,583,834				1,742,841
Restricted cash			686,568				272,266				37,708
Accounts receivable, net			572,558				559,200				77,448
Financing receivables			1,135,445				986,822				136,673
Short-term investment			7,454,633				7,038,556				974,829
Inventories			28,074				41,449				5,741
Advances to suppliers			821,942				903,693				125,160
Prepayments and other current assets			3,772,377				4,159,042				576,021
Amounts due from related parties			148,067				194,523				26,941
Total current assets			26,953,548				26,739,385				3,703,362
Investments in equity investee			3,455,119				2,945,826				407,992
Property and equipment, net			32,181,025				32,933,680				4,561,262
Land use rights, net			5,637,101				5,675,825				786,093
Intangible assets, net			23,240				21,691				3,004
Operating lease right-of-use assets			672,193				609,448				84,408
Goodwill			4,241,541				4,241,541				587,447
Deferred tax assets			879,772				950,530				131,647
Long-term investment			12,170,881				13,450,088				1,862,816
Long-term financing receivables			964,780				1,079,928				149,568
Other non-current assets			701,758				719,082				99,592
Amounts due from related parties-non current			584,263				508,333				70,403
TOTAL ASSETS			88,465,221				89,875,357				12,447,594
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities
Short-term bank borrowing			7,765,990				8,040,790				1,113,637
Accounts payable			2,557,010				2,334,476				323,321
Notes payable			-				-				-
Advances from customers			1,745,727				1,672,339				231,616
Income tax payable			333,257				343,697				47,601
Amounts due to related parties			234,683				198,235				27,455
Operating lease liabilities			186,253				182,195				25,234
Dividends payable			1,548				3,612,693				500,352
Other current liabilities			7,236,716				6,876,129				952,334
Total current liabilities			20,061,184				23,260,554				3,221,550
Non-current operating lease liabilities			455,879				404,073				55,963
Deferred tax liabilities			638,200				661,049				91,554
Convertible senior bond			7,029,550				7,159,324				991,555
TOTAL LIABILITIES			28,184,813				31,485,000				4,360,622
Shareholders' equity
Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 10,000,000,000 shares authorized; 812,866,663 shares issued and 804,719,252 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023; 812,866,663 shares issued and 806,668,101 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2024)			525				525				73
Additional paid-in capital			24,201,745				24,470,474				3,389,122
Treasury shares, at cost			(510,986	)			(377,156	)			(52,236	)
Retained earnings			36,301,185				34,022,542				4,712,068
Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(190,724	)			(273,054	)			(37,817	)
ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. shareholders' equity			59,801,745				57,843,331				8,011,210
Noncontrolling interests			478,663				547,026				75,762
Total Equity			60,280,408				58,390,357				8,086,972
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY			88,465,221				89,875,357				12,447,594

 

 

Summary of Unaudited Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities			2,737,974				2,031,020				281,293
Net cash used in investing activities			(5,866,601	)			(2,378,652	)			(329,439	)
Net cash provided by financing activities			840,572				130,130				18,023
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash			(8,937	)			38,603				5,346
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash			(2,296,992	)			(178,899	)			(24,777	)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period			12,603,087				13,051,310				1,807,585
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period			10,306,095				12,872,411				1,782,808

 

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:

 

		As of
		December 31,				March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents			12,333,884				12,583,834				1,742,841
Restricted cash, current			686,568				272,266				37,708
Restricted cash, non-current			30,858				16,311				2,259
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash			13,051,310				12,872,411				1,782,808

 

  

Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
Net income			1,664,821				1,447,747				200,512
Add:
Share-based compensation expense [1]			254,976				298,387				41,326
Impairment of investment in equity investee[1]			-				478,364				66,253
Gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiaries and others, net of income taxes			-				(451	)			(62	)
Adjusted net income			1,919,797				2,224,047				308,029
Net income			1,664,821				1,447,747				200,512
Add:
Depreciation			651,685				752,119				104,167
Amortization			34,793				33,980				4,706
Interest expenses			71,710				83,916				11,622
Income tax expenses			455,007				566,305				78,432
EBITDA			2,878,016				2,884,067				399,439
Add:
Share-based compensation expense			254,976				298,387				41,326
Impairment of investment in equity investee			-				478,364				66,253
Gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiaries and others			-				(451	)			(62	)
Adjusted EBITDA			3,132,992				3,660,367				506,956

 

(1)   Net of income taxes of nil

 

 

Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results

 

		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023				2024
		RMB				RMB				US$
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders			1,670,336				1,426,046				197,506
Add:
Share-based compensation expense [1]			254,976				298,387				41,326
Impairment of investment in equity investee[1]			-				478,364				66,253
Gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiaries and others, net of income taxes			-				(451	)			(62	)
Adjusted Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders			1,925,312				2,202,346				305,023
Weighted average shares used in calculating net earnings per ordinary share/ADS
Basic			808,865,862				804,935,791				804,935,791
Diluted			840,491,415				836,144,858				836,144,858
Net earnings per share/ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders
Basic			2.07				1.77				0.25
Diluted			2.03				1.75				0.24
Adjusted net earnings per share/ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders
Basic			2.38				2.74				0.38
Diluted			2.33				2.68				0.37

 

(1)   Net of income taxes of nil  

 

 

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

 

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.
Investor Relations
E-mail: ir@zto.com
Phone: +86 21 5980 4508

 

 

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