Business Corpus: This No. 1 Logistics Firm, Backed By Alibaba, Is Set To ReportZTO Express, a logistics play on China's e-commerce boom, reports earnings after the close Wednesday. The post This No. 1 Logistics Firm, Backed By Alibaba, Is Set To Report appeared first on Investor's Business Daily.

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Leading China delivery company ZTO Express (ZTO), a logistics play on China's e-commerce boom, reports earnings after the close Wednesday.

The Alibaba (BABA)-backed firm covers 96% of China's cities and counties, supporting the strong growth of e-commerce in that country. The Chinese e-commerce giant and its logistics arm Cainiao are investing $1.38 billion in ZTO.

Estimates: EPS is seen climbing 53% to 23 cents, according to one analyst surveyed by Zacks Investment Research. There was no revenue estimate but ZTO saw $438 million in sales a year ago.

Results: To be announced.

Stock: Shares of ZTO climbed 0.7% to 19.59 in the stock market today. The stock jumped past a 21.80 buy point on July 16 in strong volume, but has since dropped into sell territory. Bit with a 95 Composite Rating, ZTO still holds the No. 1 ranking among transportation and logistics stocks. Echo Global (ECHO) comes in second with a 94.

Last-Mile Delivery Focus

ZTO Express serves millions of online merchants and consumers on Alibaba and JD.com (JD), making it a logistics play on China's e-commerce growth.

After Alibaba and Cainiao announced their investment in ZTO in May, ZTO in June took a 15% stake in Cainiao's last-mile delivery business for a $168 million investment.

The company has made "significant progress" in developing last-mile delivery products and services, said CEO Meisong Lai, when ZTO announced the Cainiao stake. But he acknowledged fierce competition in last-mile delivery services as demand for personalized pickup and delivery grows alongside daily parcel volume.

Any impact from that growing partnership is likely to be in focus during the company's 9 p.m. ET conference call.

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The post This No. 1 Logistics Firm, Backed By Alibaba, Is Set To Report appeared first on Investor's Business Daily.