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

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $80.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Zoetis traded as low as $71.45 and last traded at $71.8680, with a volume of 1784145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.66.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on ZTS. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.50.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,617,718.62. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 27,862 shares in the company, 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 own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 519.3% during the second quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 353 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 66.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 1.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $76.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.73.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.49% and a return on equity of 74.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.43 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be given 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 payout ratio is currently 34.93%.

About Zoetis

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.