Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Hits New 52-Week Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday after TD Cowen lowered their price target on the stock from $150.00 to $104.00. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. Zoetis traded as low as $72.03 and last traded at $72.3490, with a volume of 413453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.25.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Leerink Partners reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. The trade was a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its position in Zoetis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% during the third quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 4.4% in the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $87.78 and its 200 day moving average is $110.59. The company has a market capitalization of $30.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 35.16%.

Zoetis Company Profile

Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products and services for companion animals and livestock. The company’s offerings include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, parasiticides and anti-infectives, as well as diagnostic instruments, consumables and laboratory testing services. Zoetis serves the veterinary community, livestock producers and other animal-health customers with products designed to prevent, detect and treat disease and to support animal productivity and welfare.

Zoetis traces its roots to the animal health business of Pfizer and became an independent, publicly traded company following a 2013 separation and initial public offering.