Traders Purchase Large Volume of Zoetis Put Options (NYSE:ZTS)

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 16,798 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 725% compared to the average volume of 2,037 put options.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $163.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $181.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Zoetis has a 12-month low of $151.03 and a 12-month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. Zoetis’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $408,453 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zoetis

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 93,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,308,000 after acquiring an additional 6,457 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,776,000. BLB&B Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 60,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,591,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,070,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 183,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,230,000 after buying an additional 17,976 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.11.

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.