Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Up 2.5%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s stock price shot up 2.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $158.06 and last traded at $157.21. 1,519,755 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 3,071,415 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ZTS. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

Zoetis Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $172.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.40. The stock has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.12%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total transaction of $71,779.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% during the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% during the third quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.