Raymond James analyst Elliot Wilbur initiated coverage of Zoetis with a Market Perform rating. In a research note to investors, Wilbur says he believes that the company's current valuation premium to industry peers more than appropriately reflects the stability and consistency of future growth prospects. Apart from broad characteristics that define the animal health industry, such as a faster and less expensive drug development process, preference towards branded vs. generic products due to prescribing patterns, and less concentrated product portfolios, the analyst says he believes Zoetis' premium valuation vs. peers will likely persist.

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.