Legato Capital Management LLC Has $718,000 Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Legato Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 52.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,956 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $165.28 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 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. The company has a market capitalization of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $169.08 and a 200-day moving average of $179.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.00.

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.