Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target Lowered to $180.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective dropped by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $195.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.11% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $160.55. 685,722 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,110,109. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $171.21 and a 200 day moving average of $179.23. Zoetis has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $201.92. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $73.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 222.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 89.1% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its stake in Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.