Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Up 1.8%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s stock price shot up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $148.94 and last traded at $148.11. 1,338,887 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 3,027,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Zoetis Stock Up 2.2 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $68.01 billion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $174.45 and a 200 day moving average of $179.97.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 25.1% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 38.1% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 30.9% in the third quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 2,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth $214,000. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 1.2% during the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 47,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,234,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. 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.