Zoetis’ (ZTS) Overweight Rating Reiterated at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler reissued their overweight rating on shares of Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a $195.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $220.00.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. 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 an average price target of $221.75.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $153.11 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36. Zoetis has a twelve month low of $148.48 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $70.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Zoetis 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 $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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. 0.12% 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 increased its holdings in Zoetis by 222.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 439.3% during the 1st quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 430.8% during the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 89.1% during the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 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.