Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Up 2%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) shares rose 2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $152.85 and last traded at $152.78. Approximately 1,119,288 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 2,906,440 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $177.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 439.3% during the first quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 430.8% during 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 buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 89.1% during the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during 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.