Ingalls & Snyder LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ingalls & Snyder LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,167 shares of the company’s stock after selling 132 shares during the quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $165.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The company has a market cap of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $169.08 and its 200-day moving average is $179.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. Equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.00.

Zoetis Company 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.