Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $214.00.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $173.99 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $169.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.11. The stock has a market cap of $78.50 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after buying an additional 20,001 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Zoetis by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 15.6% during the third quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 8.6% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,595 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Zoetis

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.