Chinese logistics firm ZTO Express Co. has filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Through the IPO, the firm plans to raise up to $1.5 billion.

ZTO's IPO prospectus shows that the company's annual income, operating profit and operating margin in 2015 amounted to 6.1 billion RMB, 1.5 billion RMB and 25.1 percent respectively. In addition, data from iResearch revealed that in 2015, the company's major rival, YTO Express, occupied a 14.7 percent market share compared to ZTO's 14.3 percent.

According to an analysis by Essence Securities, ZTO Express and YTO Express are neck and neck in terms of business volume, but thanks to ZTO's higher growth rate, ZTO Express has the potential to become No. 1 in the industry. Analysts also suggested that, faced with fierce competition from its component, ZTO could gain an upper hand by taking advantage of its more cost-efficient, self-run distribution network.

Industry expert Zhao Xiaomin pointed out that since the regulations and rules in the American market are quite different from those in China, the IPO poses both challenges and opportunities for ZTO Express. Potential advantages include more popularity in the international market and accelerated internationalization, Zhao said, adding that these delivery companies may enter a period of merging and reorganization as more of them get listed.