LANDSTAR SYSTEM, INC. vs ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc., two Trucking stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
ZTO Express moves parcels across China at scale; Landstar brokers North American truckload freight through agents. ZTO's sortation network earns an 18.49% net margin, roughly seven times Landstar's 2.62%, though Landstar's return on equity of 15.6% edges ZTO's 13.53% on the strength of its capital-light model. ZTO trades far cheaper on earnings, 13.71 times against 57.71, and at a fraction of the book multiple, 1.87 against Landstar's 8.90. ZTO also generates more free cash, a 5.37% yield against 3.29%. As an ADR, ZTO carries currency and governance risk Landstar does not. At $18.0B, ZTO is more than double Landstar's $7.1B.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | LSTR | ZTO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $209.50 | $23.82 |
| Market cap | $7.1B | $19.6B |
| Sector | Trucking | Trucking |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| P/E | 57.9 | 14.9 |
| P/B | 8.92 | 2.04 |
| P/S | 1.50 | 2.78 |
| EV/EBITDA | 32.2 | 9.9 |
| Revenue growth | -0.8% | +200.0% |
| Gross margin | — | 25.0% |
| Operating margin | 4.5% | 21.3% |
| Net margin | 2.6% | 18.5% |
| Return on equity | 15.6% | 13.5% |
| Return on assets | 7.8% | 10.0% |
| Return on invested capital | 15.5% | 10.6% |
| FCF yield | 3.3% | 4.9% |
| Dividend yield | 1.7% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.16 |
| Current ratio | 1.88 | 1.49 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 10.00 | 5.16 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.