Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) has received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $221.44.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1,387.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Central Valley Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $59,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $182.78 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.28. Zoetis has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $82.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.22, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.29% and a return on equity of 50.67%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.14%.

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.