Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading 0.9% Higher

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s stock price traded up 0.9% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $153.67 and last traded at $152.86. 1,057,616 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 2,938,021 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their price target on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $221.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $69.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total transaction of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MGO Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 48.2% during the 1st quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 36.2% during the 1st quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 29,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,999,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860 shares in the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,132,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Koss Olinger Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at about $5,022,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Company Profile

Zoetis Inc engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products and services in the United States and internationally. The company commercializes products primarily across species, including livestock, such as cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and sheep and others; and companion animals comprising dogs, cats, and horses.