Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $215.22.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. 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 note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $165.52 on Friday. Zoetis has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The company has a market cap of $74.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.80.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

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.