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

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $211.89.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $166.31 on Tuesday. 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 capitalization of $75.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.22.

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

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of 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. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 41,235.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,652,000 after acquiring an additional 937,700 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Zoetis by 7,608.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 835,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,874,000 after buying an additional 824,843 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $336,266,000 after acquiring an additional 572,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $110,809,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently 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.