William Blair Equities Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at William Blair dropped their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Zoetis in a research note issued on Thursday, May 2nd. William Blair analyst B. Vazquez now anticipates that the company will earn $1.46 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.49. The consensus estimate for Zoetis' current full-year earnings is $5.77 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Zoetis' Q3 2024 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.43 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.76 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.53 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.64 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.61 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $6.43 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com cut Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.38.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.7 %

ZTS traded down $1.12 during trading on Monday, hitting $165.95. 3,080,329 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,177,335. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $168.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Zoetis has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.98, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 7.4% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 93,735 shares of the company's stock worth $16,308,000 after buying an additional 6,457 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,776,000. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its stake in Zoetis by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 108,293 shares of the company's stock worth $21,374,000 after buying an additional 12,537 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Zoetis by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 183,564 shares of the company's stock worth $36,230,000 after buying an additional 17,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 4.0% in the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 24,068 shares of the company's stock worth $4,187,000 after buying an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

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.