Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 0.2%

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) shot up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $151.90 and last traded at $151.18. 1,224,514 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 3,050,612 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ZTS. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.6 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $173.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $70.14 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 33.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% in 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. Webster Bank N. A. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% during the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% during the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 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.