Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 2%

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) shot up 2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $152.85 and last traded at $152.78. 1,119,288 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 2,906,440 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on ZTS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.75.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $177.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.39. The company has a market capitalization of $69.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LVW Advisors LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,132,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,022,000. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annapolis Financial Services LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 32.4% during the 1st quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 409 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.