Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $160.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $165.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $212.13.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $155.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $69.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $159.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Zoetis has a 1-year low of $139.70 and a 1-year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 225,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,809 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 2,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. now owns 85,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, First Long Island Investors LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 402.9% in the 1st quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC now owns 171,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,270,000 after buying an additional 137,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

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.