Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stake Lifted by Ownership Capital B.V.

Ownership Capital B.V. grew its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 848,978 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,360 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up about 5.1% of Ownership Capital B.V.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Ownership Capital B.V.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $138,324,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $156.92 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $167.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.29. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $70.27 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. One investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.90.

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.