Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Price Target to $180.00

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. 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 Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.89.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $164.93 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $172.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.20. Zoetis has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.53. The company has a market capitalization of $74.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27.

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. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is an increase 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 institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during 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 raised its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.