Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Down 0.4% on Analyst Downgrade

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)’s share price fell 0.4% on Wednesday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $195.00 to $180.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Zoetis traded as low as $158.04 and last traded at $158.60. 979,969 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 3,120,154 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.24.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. 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 boosted their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brookstone Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 144.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 13,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 7,692 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 177,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,826,000 after purchasing an additional 5,764 shares during the period. Vicus Capital purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $309,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 622,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,291,000 after purchasing an additional 10,624 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.4 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $170.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.97. The company has a market capitalization of $72.51 billion, a PE ratio of 31.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

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.