Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading Up 2.9%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s share price rose 2.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $165.04 and last traded at $163.09. Approximately 1,744,524 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 3,100,233 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective 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 reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 3.36 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.33. The company has a market cap of $73.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.12%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total transaction of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its position in Zoetis by 89.1% during the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

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.