Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $214.40.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 141.4% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE ZTS traded up $1.28 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $153.58. 3,543,605 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,501,356. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $158.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.47. Zoetis has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

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.