Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Trading 1.2% Higher

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) traded up 1.2% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $155.00 and last traded at $151.85. 2,316,937 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 2,840,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.75.

Zoetis Stock Performance

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.59. The company has a market capitalization of $69.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $408,453. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 439.3% in the first quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 430.8% in the first quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.