Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Motco

Motco lowered its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 52,184 shares of the company’s stock after selling 439 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $480,000. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 53.9% during the 4th quarter. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA now owns 4,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 1,733 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $98,000. Peloton Wealth Strategists lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Peloton Wealth Strategists now owns 10,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,710,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Finally, Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,835,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $164.95 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $166.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.