Analysts Set Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target at $215.90

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $215.90.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $170.34 on Wednesday. Zoetis has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.72 and its 200-day moving average is $176.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.14, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

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.