The Goldman Sachs Group Trims Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Target Price to $196.00

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective reduced by The Goldman Sachs Group from $223.00 to $196.00 in a report released on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on ZTS. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $211.75.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $168.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.94 and its 200-day moving average is $178.83. Zoetis has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Wintrust Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.1% in the first quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 8,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Nwam LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 4,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $836,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 5.4% in the first quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 4.2% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 16.0% during the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.