BEIJING - YTO Express Group, a leading express delivery firm in China, saw stable profit growth in the first half (H1) of this year amid the continued expansion of the country's courier service market.

The company's net profits attributable to shareholders hit 971 million yuan ($141 million) in H1, up 12.55 percent year-on-year, according to its semi-annual report filed with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The operating income of the express delivery giant rose 4.5 percent year-on-year to 14.58 billion yuan during the period.

The company reported steady expansion in business volume in H1, taking a bigger share of the country's courier sector.

A total of about 4.94 billion parcels were delivered during the period, up 29.79 percent from last year, the company said.