Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) shot up 0.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $151.46 and last traded at $150.82. 1,098,559 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 3,040,734 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $173.78 and a 200-day moving average of $179.78. The stock has a market cap of $69.01 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 25.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 38.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $214,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.2% during the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 47,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,234,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Zoetis by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 9,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,739,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares in 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.