Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Bought by Avestar Capital LLC

Avestar Capital LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,337 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,594,000 after buying an additional 20,001 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 4,582.9% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in Zoetis by 8.6% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 90,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,663,000 after acquiring an additional 7,170 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 10.4% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.8% during the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $165.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $169.08 and a 200-day moving average of $179.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. As a group, analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.