Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on ZTS. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. HSBC set a $140.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Zoetis from $158.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Barclays started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $136.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Zoetis from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.91.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $124.04 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $54.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.43. Zoetis has a fifty-two week low of $115.25 and a fifty-two week high of $177.40.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 57.19% and a net margin of 28.21%.Zoetis’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 35.69%.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 496.6% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 201.5% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Company Profile

Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products and services for companion animals and livestock. The company’s offerings include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, parasiticides and anti-infectives, as well as diagnostic instruments, consumables and laboratory testing services. Zoetis serves the veterinary community, livestock producers and other animal-health customers with products designed to prevent, detect and treat disease and to support animal productivity and welfare.

Zoetis traces its roots to the animal health business of Pfizer and became an independent, publicly traded company following a 2013 separation and initial public offering.