Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Up 1.2%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $155.00 and last traded at $151.85. 2,316,937 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 2,840,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued 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 shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays raised their price target 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 reduced their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $224.88.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.1 %

The business's fifty day moving average is $179.92 and its 200-day moving average is $180.91. The firm has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55, 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.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm'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 owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $408,453. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 439.3% in the 1st quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 430.8% in the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 138 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

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.