Achmea Investment Management B.V. Has $5.48 Million Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. decreased its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,485 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,497,000 after purchasing an additional 351,372 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 2.2% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $885,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 8.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 338,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,208,000 after acquiring an additional 26,789 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.0 %

ZTS stock opened at $160.03 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The company has a market capitalization of $71.66 billion, a PE ratio of 29.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.33. 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 announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 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.