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

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Barclays from $242.00 to $244.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 53.76% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ZTS. 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 note on Monday. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $6.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $158.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,986,854 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,953,573. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.98. The stock has a market cap of $71.60 billion, a PE ratio of 29.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. 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 has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Zoetis by 2.0% in the third quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its position in Zoetis by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in Zoetis by 0.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,628,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 3.5% in the third quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, VeraBank N.A. increased its position in Zoetis by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. VeraBank N.A. now owns 1,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.