Capital Analysts LLC Raises Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

by · The Markets Daily

Capital Analysts LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS – Free Report) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,713 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,025 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $9,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $153.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $158.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.40.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on ZTS

About Zoetis

(Free Report)

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.

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