Securian Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,247 shares of the company’s stock after selling 810 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also 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 acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 45.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $161.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $166.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. Analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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 is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Company 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.