Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by TCW Group Inc.

TCW Group Inc. lowered its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 573,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,544 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $93,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th 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. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ZTS. Barclays upped their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.40.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $160.39 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The firm has a market cap of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 29.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $166.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.99. 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

About Zoetis

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.