Zoetis is a leading animal health company that develops and markets pharmaceuticals and vaccines for pets and livestock.
It stands as the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for animals, capitalizing on the growing demand for specialized veterinary care.
Updated: February 19, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on a comprehensive analysis, here is an assessment of Zoetis (ZTS).
Technical Analysis ZTS shows encouraging short-term momentum, having outperformed the market over the last three months. However, it trades near its 52-week low and has experienced a significant drawdown from its peak, suggesting it is currently in an oversold position. This price action presents a potential entry point for investors betting on a recovery.
Fundamental Analysis The company demonstrates a mixed fundamental picture. While it boasts strong profitability metrics, including a robust gross margin and a solid return on equity, it is facing margin pressure from rising operating expenses. Its financial health is supported by excellent liquidity but tempered by high leverage, which is only modestly covered by its free cash flow.
Valuation & Risk Valuation multiples like the P/E ratio appear reasonable, but extremely high Price-to-Book and EV/EBITDA ratios imply the stock is priced for significant future growth. The primary risk is the stock's high sensitivity to market downturns, as evidenced by its substantial past drawdown. The lack of a clear peer comparison complicates a definitive valuation call.
Recommendation ZTS presents a compelling case for investors with a moderate risk appetite and a long-term horizon. Its position near a 52-week low, combined with its strong brand and profitability, offers a plausible recovery play. While leverage and high growth-based valuations are concerns, the company's solid core business supports a cautiously optimistic outlook. Therefore, a BUY recommendation is warranted.
*This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on a comprehensive analysis, here is a 12-month outlook for Zoetis (ZTS).
Zoetis's outlook is cautiously optimistic, with key catalysts including a potential rebound from its oversold, near-52-week-low position and its strong brand power supporting continued revenue growth in the resilient animal health market. The primary risks are persistent margin pressure from elevated operating expenses and the stock's high sensitivity to broader market downturns, exacerbated by its premium valuation and significant leverage. While a specific analyst target is unavailable, the current valuation suggests a target price range of $140-$160 is plausible if the company can successfully navigate cost pressures and demonstrate sustained growth, marking a recovery toward its historical trading levels.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Zoetis Inc.'s 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $127.28, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, ZTS has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
ZTS has demonstrated modest outperformance against the market over the recent quarter despite remaining significantly below its 52-week high. The stock exhibits slightly lower volatility than the broader market, yet it endured a substantial drawdown within the past year.
In the short term, ZTS has shown positive momentum with gains of 3.28% over one month and 5.05% over three months. This performance has notably surpassed the broader market, as evidenced by a 3.2% relative strength over the three-month period.
Currently trading at $127.28, ZTS sits near its 52-week low of $115.25 and far from its peak of $177. Considering its substantial decline from the high and proximity to the yearly low, the stock appears to be in an oversold condition based on its price position.
| Period | ZTS Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | +3.3% | +1.0% |
| 3m | +5.0% | +1.9% |
| 6m | -15.0% | +6.5% |
| 1y | -19.1% | +12.1% |
| ytd | +1.1% | +0.2% |
Revenue & Profitability ZTS demonstrated slight revenue contraction in Q4 2025 to $2.39 billion from $2.40 billion in Q3, while net profit margin declined from 30.0% to 25.3% quarter-over-quarter. The decrease was primarily driven by higher operating expenses and a lower operating income ratio (34.6% vs 39.0%), indicating margin pressure despite sustained gross profitability above 68%.
Financial Health The company maintains a strong liquidity position with a current ratio of 3.03 and cash ratio above 1.0, though the debt-equity ratio of 2.85 reflects significant leverage. Interest coverage remains healthy at 14.5x, but the cash flow to debt ratio of 0.09 suggests modest free cash flow relative to total debt obligations.
Operational Efficiency ZTS posted a solid return on equity of 18.1%, supported by efficient capital deployment, but asset turnover remained low at 0.15, indicating suboptimal utilization of its asset base. The extended cash conversion cycle of 295 days, driven by high inventory days outstanding, points to potential inefficiencies in working capital management.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardBased on the PE ratio of 20.39 (TTM) and a forward PE of 22.86, the stock does not appear to carry an extreme valuation on an earnings basis. However, the significantly high PB ratio of 16.36 and EV/EBITDA of 65.80 suggest the market is pricing in substantial growth or premium assets that are not immediately reflected in current earnings. The negative PEG ratio renders that metric unusable but signals that earnings growth expectations may be negative or stagnant, presenting a potential risk to the current valuation level.
A peer comparison cannot be conclusively performed due to the unavailability of industry average data. This lack of contextual benchmark makes it impossible to determine if the observed multiples represent a premium or discount relative to the sector. A thorough valuation assessment would require this comparative industry data to evaluate the stock's relative attractiveness.
Volatility risk appears moderate given ZTS's beta of 0.961, indicating its price movements historically align closely with the broader market. However, the substantial one-year maximum drawdown of -32.63% highlights significant past downside volatility, suggesting notable susceptibility to market downturns despite the near-market-average beta.
Operational and financial risks appear somewhat contained, primarily due to the absence of significant speculative pressure as indicated by nonexistent short interest. This suggests strong market confidence in the company's fundamentals and reduces the likelihood of a short squeeze scenario. Overall market liquidity remains a standard implicit risk factor.
I am neutral on ZTS at the current price. While the stock appears oversold near its 52-week low and the company has a strong innovation pipeline and high profitability, it faces significant near-term headwinds from weak demand for a key product and recent earnings disappointments that have led to downward analyst revisions. This stock is suitable only for patient, long-term investors who can tolerate volatility while waiting for the company's new products to potentially stabilize its growth trajectory.
Based on the provided data, ZTS appears to be overvalued. Its valuation multiples, particularly the high Price-to-Book (PB) ratio of 16.36, significantly exceed typical industry averages for stable companies and suggest a substantial premium. The negative PEG ratio indicates that the market's high earnings multiple (PE of 20.39) is not supported by positive growth expectations, especially when considered alongside the recent quarterly contraction in revenue and profit margins. This combination of premium pricing and weakening fundamentals points to an overvalued stock.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding ZTS stock, ordered by importance:
1. Market Recession Vulnerability: Despite a beta near the market average, the stock's significant 52-week maximum drawdown of -32.63% reveals a high susceptibility to market downturns, posing a substantial downside risk. 2. Financial Leverage Risk: A high debt-to-equity ratio of 2.85 indicates significant leverage, creating elevated financial risk, especially if rising interest rates increase borrowing costs or if cash flow (with a low cash flow to debt ratio of 0.09) proves insufficient to service the debt. 3. Operational Inefficiency Risk: A very long cash conversion cycle of 295 days, driven by high inventory days, signals potential working capital management issues that could strain liquidity and reduce profitability. 4. Near-Term Performance Pressure: Trading near its 52-week low and significantly below its high, the stock faces technical and sentiment-related risks, as this price level may reflect persistent negative market perception or a lack of catalysts for recovery.
Based on current analysis, a 2026 target price for Zoetis (ZTS) in a base case is $175-$200, while a bull case could reach $220-$240.
Key growth drivers include sustained pricing power for its portfolio of patented petcare products, expansion in high-growth international markets, and successful new product launches. These projections assume the company can stabilize its operating margins, maintain its premium branding, and that pet healthcare spending remains resilient. However, this forecast carries significant uncertainty due to potential for increased competition, regulatory pressures on drug pricing, and the stock's vulnerability to a broader market re-rating given its high valuation multiples.