Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) Stock

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Barclays from $242.00 to $244.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 53.76% from the stock’s previous close.

ZTS has been the subject of several other reports. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.90.

Zoetis Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $6.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $158.69. 2,986,854 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,953,573. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.98. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after purchasing an additional 20,001 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4,582.9% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 90,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its stake in Zoetis by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 8,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

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.