Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Acquires 39,114 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 72.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 93,114 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,114 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $15,171,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in Zoetis by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after buying an additional 20,001 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 6.0% during the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the period. Traynor Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 1,387.5% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.40.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $164.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $73.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $166.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.58. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The business 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

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.