Sava Infond d.o.o. Makes New Investment in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,980,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in 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. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,497,000 after buying an additional 351,372 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 14.8% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 237.3% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 1,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 25,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,076,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $162.56 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The company has a market capitalization of $72.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.72, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $166.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ZTS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

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.