Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by analysts at Piper Sandler from $205.00 to $210.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler's price objective suggests a potential upside of 29.63% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded up $2.73 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $162.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,562,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,489,532. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $157.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.95. Zoetis has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $824,321,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Zoetis by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,133,755,000 after buying an additional 3,059,255 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $339,111,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 4,158.3% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,824,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $300,481,000 after buying an additional 1,782,110 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 14,731.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,759,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,666,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,423 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.