Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research 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 price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $211.89.

A number of research firms have weighed in on ZTS. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $166.31 on Tuesday. 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 50-day simple moving average of $171.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.22. Zoetis has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The company has a market capitalization of $75.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after purchasing an additional 4,829,815 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 41,235.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,652,000 after purchasing an additional 937,700 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 7,608.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 835,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,874,000 after acquiring an additional 824,843 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Zoetis by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $336,266,000 after purchasing an additional 572,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $110,809,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.