Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Lowers Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC trimmed its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 48,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,145 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $7,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value 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 $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com cut Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.90.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.7 %

ZTS opened at $166.96 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.99. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.