Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Invests $10.46 Million in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 64,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,457,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Zoetis by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,215,000 after buying an additional 2,213 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its position in Zoetis by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $929,000. Finally, Leelyn Smith LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 22,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,655,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $165.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $74.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.97. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the 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 directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.