Analysts Set Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target at $211.89

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $211.89.

Several research analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group started 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 Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $169.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.07.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Zoetis will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.52%.

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.