Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target Cut to $238.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective lowered by Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $238.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on 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 research note on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

Zoetis Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $157.54 on Friday. Zoetis has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The company has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $168.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.98.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.