Brokerages Set Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target at $224.88

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $224.88.

A number of research firms have recently commented on ZTS. Barclays increased their price objective on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Zoetis Stock Down 7.8 %

ZTS stock traded down $12.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $149.98. The company had a trading volume of 11,577,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,015,519. Zoetis has a fifty-two week low of $148.48 and a fifty-two week high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $68.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.91.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, 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 the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $408,453. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,386 shares of the company's stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp raised its holdings in Zoetis by 2.3% during the first quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 2,446 shares of the company's stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Zoetis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,386 shares of the company's stock worth $1,458,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 3,498 shares of the company's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.