UAL vs. ZTO: United Airlines vs. ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Comparison

Company Profile

United Airlines (UAL) and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) both fall under the Transportation industry group, but UAL is classified in Passenger Airlines while ZTO is classified in Air Freight & Logistics.

United Airlines (UAL) trades as ordinary local shares, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) reports a negative beta of -0.18, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. United Airlines (UAL) has a non-negative beta of 1.32.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

United Airlines (UAL) at 22.31% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 16.28% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UAL.

Both United Airlines (UAL) at 5.46% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 19.04% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

Both United Airlines (UAL) at 7.03% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 22.19% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 10.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while United Airlines (UAL) at 3.52% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ZTO.

Both United Airlines (UAL) at 7.94% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 4.58% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.67 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Airlines (UAL) at 0.75 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.35 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while United Airlines (UAL) at 1.93 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

United Airlines (UAL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) reports a yield of 12.89%, ranking against industry peers normally.

United Airlines (UAL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) reports a payout of 38.36%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

United Airlines (UAL) at 10.32 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 11.37 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for UAL, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.29 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while United Airlines (UAL) at 0.56 prices around its industry’s middle — ZTO costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

On P/B ratio, both United Airlines (UAL) at 2.06 and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.66 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

Valuation Metrics