Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Up 2.2%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) shares traded up 2.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $154.40 and last traded at $153.02. 4,967,617 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 38% from the average session volume of 3,610,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Zoetis Stock Down 2.2 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $176.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.20. The company has a market cap of $68.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 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.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 2,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,458,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 3,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Zoetis

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.