Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Price

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.89.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS stock opened at $163.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $172.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.42. The company has a market cap of $73.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

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.