Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target to $165.00

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $180.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 10.23% from the stock’s previous close.

ZTS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.40.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $0.25 during trading on Monday, reaching $149.69. 572,217 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,580,933. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. Zoetis has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $162.51 and a 200-day moving average of $171.22.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. Analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. VeraBank N.A. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. VeraBank N.A. now owns 1,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.