Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading Up 0.9%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $153.67 and last traded at $152.86. Approximately 1,057,616 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 2,938,021 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.51.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.75.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $70.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth $134,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 3.9% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 51,581 shares of the company's stock worth $9,727,000 after buying an additional 1,914 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 102.8% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 724 shares of the company's stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 92.8% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the company's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

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.