Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 13,742,200 shares, a growth of 26.3% from the December 15th total of 10,884,389 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,589,155 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 6,589,155 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,188,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,521,000 after purchasing an additional 79,220 shares during the period. Formidable Asset Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 171.4% during the fourth quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 6,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 4,272 shares in the last quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $425,000. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $275,000. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 7,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $160.00 price target on Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $136.00 target price on the stock. HSBC set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Bank of America cut Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.18.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded down $0.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $124.79. 7,047,282 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,062,379. Zoetis has a 12 month low of $115.25 and a 12 month high of $177.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.35. The company has a current ratio of 3.64, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $54.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.97.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.42 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 57.19% and a net margin of 28.21%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. Research analysts expect that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.67%.

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.