Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Stifel Nicolaus

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $160.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus' target price suggests a potential downside of 1.01% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ZTS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.13.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE ZTS opened at $161.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $71.96 billion, a PE ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis has a 52 week low of $139.70 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $159.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.74.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The business's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 15.9% during the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 2,177 shares of the company's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. Maple Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.3% in the first quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. now owns 85,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Long Island Investors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 402.9% in the first quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC now owns 171,698 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,270,000 after purchasing an additional 137,555 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 14.0% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 3,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.

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