Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $238.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 51.08% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $157.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $168.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. Zoetis has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth approximately $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.