Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 2.9%

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $171.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.33. 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 company has a market cap of $73.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total transaction of $71,779.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at 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.