Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading 0.3% Higher

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) traded up 0.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $162.13 and last traded at $160.19. 853,972 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 3,112,518 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. 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. 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 research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.3 %

The company has a market cap of $72.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 3.36 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $171.21 and a 200-day moving average of $179.23.

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). Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $980,646,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Zoetis by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,716,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,707,262,000 after purchasing an additional 3,244,074 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $242,757,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $176,219,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 122.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,448,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,923,000 after buying an additional 797,884 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.