QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 331 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 76,520 shares of the company’s stock after selling 331 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $12,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $164.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $166.25 and a 200-day moving average of $177.49. 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was 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 this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.