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

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

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th.

Zoetis Trading Down 2.1 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $163.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $179.02 and a 200 day moving average of $181.15.

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

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Zoetis by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,779,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,864,488,000 after acquiring an additional 95,856 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,427,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,030,813,000 after buying an additional 185,364 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after buying an additional 4,829,815 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 4.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,687,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $812,695,000 after acquiring an additional 178,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 5.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,896,106 shares of the company’s stock valued at $761,221,000 after acquiring an additional 194,542 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.