Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $133.9167.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Leerink Partners reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% in the third quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.4% in the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $75.89 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $92.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.10. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. Zoetis has a 12-month low of $72.38 and a 12-month high of $161.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

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.