Short Interest in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Expands By 20.5%

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,580,000 shares, a growth of 20.5% from the January 15th total of 7,120,000 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,620,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sone Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,323,000. Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 34,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,618,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares during the period. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC now owns 130,727 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,299,000 after acquiring an additional 3,544 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in Zoetis by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 170,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,527 shares during the period. Finally, Triglav Skladi D.O.O. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $727,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $7.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $157.54. 7,656,606 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,578,743. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.78. Zoetis has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

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.