Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Acquires 5,340 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,552 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,340 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.8 %

Zoetis stock opened at $170.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.14, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.83.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

Zoetis Profile

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.