Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 2.2%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s share price traded up 2.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $154.40 and last traded at $153.02. 4,967,617 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 38% from the average session volume of 3,610,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $221.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $178.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.59. The firm has a market cap of $69.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total transaction of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $408,453. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 439.3% during the 1st quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 430.8% in the first quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 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.