AJOVista LLC Acquires Shares of 687 Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

AJOVista LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in Zoetis by 371.4% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Financial Corp IN increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $216.13.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $167.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,007,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,607,073. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $168.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 50.74%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total transaction of $71,779.62. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.