Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Short Interest Update

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 6,510,000 shares, a decrease of 20.9% from the February 13th total of 8,230,000 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,010,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $0.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $163.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,667,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,521,449. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Zoetis has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.83 and its 200-day moving average is $175.84.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. On average, analysts expect that Zoetis will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 in the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 111 Capital bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $2,786,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 305,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,793,000 after buying an additional 56,734 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 24,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,065,000 after buying an additional 1,696 shares during the period. Members Wealth LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $202,000. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $57,184,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

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.