Maple Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Maple Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 84,842 shares of the company’s stock after selling 219 shares during the quarter. Zoetis comprises about 1.0% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $13,823,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% during 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 during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,489,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 3,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 217.2% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $167.58 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.38. The firm has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.19%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.90.

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.