UBS analyst Navin Jacob resumed coverage of Elanco (ELAN) with a Sell rating, also lowering his price target to $28 from $29. The analyst says that while the company is executing well and has solid fundamentals, he continues to see "structural impediments" for its operations in "higher percentage of lower margin livestock products" relative to Zoetis (ZTS) that weighs on its gross margins. Jacob adds that Elanco's current valuation implies operating margin above 27% to be achieved by 2022, while he only models 25%.

Barclays lowered the firm's price target on Zoetis to $230 from $260 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares ahead of the Q1 report. The analyst expects the Q1 reports to provide continuing evidence of improvement in generics and biosimilars for the specialty pharmaceuticals group.

Jefferies analyst Glen Santangelo lowered the firm's price target on Zoetis (ZTS) to $200 from $220 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. Zoetis shares are down year-to-date on several factors, with the two most significant being Librela safety concerns and pending competition launches from Elanco (ELAN), the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm, however, conducted a survey of 35 veterinarians and says the data looks largely positive for Zoetis. While the competitive landscape around key products bears monitoring, the stock's current valuation discount "seems overly punitive," contends Jefferies. The firm believes this "battered expectation level represents an attractive buying opportunity" ahead of the company's Q1 report. Jefferies notes that 100% of the 35 of vets it surveyed are happy, either very or somewhat, with Librela efficacy while 97% were neutral to happy with the safety profile. Meanwhile, 50% of respondents expect osteoarthritis pain scripts to growth 11%-30% in the next two years, the firm adds.