Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Up 0.3%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s share price rose 0.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $162.13 and last traded at $160.19. Approximately 853,972 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 3,112,518 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.3 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $171.21 and a 200 day moving average of $179.23. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.60, a PEG 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis 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 owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 93,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,308,000 after buying an additional 6,457 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $2,776,000. BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 60,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in Zoetis by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 108,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,374,000 after buying an additional 12,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 183,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,230,000 after purchasing an additional 17,976 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Zoetis

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.