Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 0.2%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) rose 0.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $151.90 and last traded at $151.18. Approximately 1,224,514 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 3,050,612 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

Zoetis Trading Up 3.3 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.29. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 34.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 93,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,308,000 after purchasing an additional 6,457 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,776,000. BLB&B Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 1.9% in the third quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 60,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,591,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in Zoetis by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 108,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,374,000 after buying an additional 12,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 183,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,230,000 after buying an additional 17,976 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.